Inside Scoop Live!

Squeeze Plays by Jeffrey Marshall

Jeffrey Marshall is a writer, novelist and poet from Scottsdale, AZ. He's the author of five books, including the novels Squeeze Plays, Little Miss Sure Shot and Undetected; Undetected and Squeeze Plays were named ShelfUnbound Notable 100 Indie books in 2020 and 2022, respectively, and Squeeze Plays also was named a Book Excellence Award winner in 2023.
A retired journalist and the former editor of two national business magazines, Marshall has freelanced to more than 30 publications as varied as The New York Times, High Country News and Tail Fly-Fishing Magazine, and his short fiction has appeared in online magazines like Bright Flash Literary Review, Ariel Chart and Vocal.com, among others. A short story he wrote took first place in the 2022 Arizona Authors competition.
You can learn more about Jeffrey Marshall and his work at https://jmarshbks.com
 
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION
About Squeeze Plays and the inspiration behind the story
Setting this psychological thriller in the financial hubs of New York and London
The Characters! A bank CEO, a New York tabloic publisher and a Russian oligarch - developing their dynamics and conflicting interests
The financial reporter who plays a pivotal role in uncovering the deeper story
Strong principled female characters
Serious insights into wealth and power with some humorous, satirical elements
What's next for Jeffrey Marshall?
 
SQUEEZE PLAYS
A modern tableau about money and power set in New York and London - Two powerful men, a bank chief executive and a New York tabloid publisher, are at odds over a loan that would keep the publisher afloat. Enter a ruthless Russian oligarch with an offer of a financial life raft to the publisher – a gambit uncovered by a dogged financial reporter who senses a big story.In Squeeze Plays, Jeffrey Marshall whisks us into the paneled boardrooms and lavish penthouses of the New York elite and shows us their lifestyle, their desires and their foibles. Using his background as a financial journalist, he carefully details the reporter’s story, which ties the central characters together in what becomes a stunning front-page expose. Along the way, the reader visits New York, London, Nantucket and the English countryside and sees not just financial skullduggery but sexual blackmail, strong and principled female characters, and a brisk and often satirical take on the corrupting influences of wealth and power.
 

Baby Senses by Dr. Jaya Viswanathan

Dr. Jaya Viswanathan is a neuroscientist and artist born and raised in India. She earned an engineering degree, a Master's in neuroscience, and a Doctorate in cognitive neuroscience. She then worked as a postdoctoral fellow before joining the Division of Neuroscience at the National Institute on Aging [C]. Her research was focused on understanding how brains interpret the world through vision and audition. She was invited to write a Neuronline article about Baby Senses as an educational resource and nominated for the Science Educator Award by the Society for Neuroscience. She loves art and is a part of Tuesday Night Group in DC. Her Neuroscience art has been featured in several art shows and she has been featured in several podcasts.
You can learn more about Dr. Viswanathan and Baby Senses at https://babysensesbook.com/
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION:
About Baby Senses and the inspiration behind the creation of the book
An innovative, accessible approach to presenting a broad spectrum of sensory systems.
How animals sense electric vibes and see light!
Using the Glossary; a friendly learning guide for inquisitive minds of all ages
Introducing the younger generation to neuroscience
SO MUCH MORE!
Baby Senses: A Sensory Neuroscience Primer for All Ages
Animals, from ants to whales, rely on evolved sensory systems to navigate their environments. "Baby Senses" delves into this rich tapestry, exploring beyond the familiar five senses to include incredible abilities like detecting electric fields. Paired with detailed neuroscience artwork, this book offers a vivid glimpse into a usually microscopic realm, captivating both children and adults.
 

My Life Inspring Journal by Jason Jackson

Jason Jackson is the author of "My Life Inspiring Journal," His book portrays his personal struggle to transcend his disabilities and find solace in the shared human experience of adversity.
Highlighting the prevalence of autism (affecting 1 in 44 children) and bipolar disorder (4.4% of the population), Jason navigates the complexities of these conditions. Inspired by conversations with his late father, he intertwines both disabilities into a heartfelt narrative that captures his journey into adulthood.
Jason is currently working on his second book, which will explore the inner thoughts of individuals
Visit Jason’s website, https://perseveracycle.com/ to learn more about him and his work.
 
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION:
Jason's writing journey.
About My Life Inspiring Journal.
Inspiration for writing the book and how it all came together.
Emphasis on abilities over limitations.
Was dad planting the seed for a future author?
What's next for Jason?
MY LIFE INSPIRING JOURNAL
Travel through this author's journey with feelings, thoughts, and desires as a Autistic man living with Bipolar. Learn how he interacts with characters in everyday life. This book is a collage of episodes modeled, and based on the author's true experiences.
Jason Jackson has managed in the few pages of this "journal" to convey both the challenges and insights of someone with autism. The need for validation, love and acceptance are the hidden drivers that direct his perceptions of the world. Told in a way that mirrors the discontinuities of his own mind and his thinking process, Jason is able to inform the readers that stories of life abound and intersect as much as they interact. There is no need to "pity" the person with autism; more important is the ability to see it as a perceptual way of dealing with daily life. In this journal, Jason has accomplished this. --Harriette H, friend and former basketball coach/Sunday School teacher

Saint Bloodbath by Frederick Douglass Reynolds

Frederick Douglass Reynolds is a retired L.A. County Sheriff’s Homicide Sergeant. He was born in Rocky Mount, Virginia, and grew up in Detroit, Michigan where he became a petty criminal and was involved in gangs. He joined the US Marine Corps in 1979 to escape the life of crime that he seemed destined for. After a brief stint in Okinawa, Japan, he finished out his military career in Southern California and ultimately became a police officer with the Compton Police Department. He worked there from 1985 until 2000 and then transferred to the Sheriff’s Department where he worked an additional seventeen years, retiring in 2017 with over seventy-five commendations including two California Officer of the Year awards, one in 1994 and the other in 1998. He lives in Southern California with his wife, Carolyn, and their daughter Lauren and young son, Desmond.  They have six other adult children and nine grandchildren.   
Learn more about Frederick Douglass Reynolds at: https://frederickdreynolds.com/ 
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION
About Saint Bloodbath and the Motivation for Telling this Story
Giving voice to the victims
Telling the story from every perspective
Writing True Crime
What's next for Frederick Douglass Reynolds?
 
SAINT BLOODBATH
Detectives McGuire and Cortes take on a gruesome homicide case in Long Beach, California, and navigate the complex role of being the murder police in an area marked by homelessness, drug abuse, and gang violence. With little but their combined decades of detective experience to go off of, they investigate personal and gang-related motives in an attempt to identify and arrest their suspect. When a severed hand is found in the desert nearly 100 miles away, their years-long investigation crosses jurisdictions, and they must connect the dots before the bloodbath continues. Saint Bloodbath explores the true story of multiple heinous crimes, but perhaps more importantly, highlights the lives and experiences of the victims, their peers, and the investigators who sought to bring a murderer to justice.

”A Wretch Like Me” by Nancy Major

Nancy Major is an award-winning nonprofit and business executive with more than thirty years of professional experience. She’s also a professional speaker and certified Christian trauma coach. Her primary area of focus is helping women overcome sexual shame and trauma.
Recently she added, ‘bestselling author’ to her bio, with her newly released memoir entitled, “A Wretch Like Me: A Modern-Day Mary Magdalene Saved by Grace. “It offers a glimpse into her lived experience as a former prostitute, “outed” by a client bent on revenge. Her courageous story tackles themes of childhood sexual abuse, shame, public humiliation, redemption, and the immeasurable gift of grace.
Nancy often jokingly refers to her colorful life as one that might lead others to think she was either in the witness protection program or running from the law. She has been known by many last names and has moved so many times that the US post office has “unfriended” her!
Today, Nancy is a wife of eleven years, a mother, stepmom, mother-in-law, and grandmother to six beloved and cherished cutie-pies. She and her husband, Jesse, live in southeastern Wisconsin with their two silly pooches, Lulu Bell and Jilly Bean. 
Learn more about Nancy Major at https://nancymajor.net/ 
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION:
About "A Wretch Like Me" and the inspiration behind writing the story.
Shared experiences with Mary Magdalene
Telling difficult stories and bringing light to the dark
Navigating life's challenges through faith
Miracles happen everyday
Christian trauma coaching 
What's next for Nancy Major?
A WRETCH LIKE ME: A MODERN DAY MARY MAGDALENE SAVED BY GRACE
I couldn’t imagine in a million years that I would ever have the courage to face telling the world about this one ugly, vile secret I figured I’d die with. The truth of who and what I had been, how it happened, and the grace that saved me on the day my life imploded.An anonymous packet was sent to business leaders throughout my community and surrounding thirteen-county area. As a business owner, I had made it a point to become well-known. When the president of one of the local chambers of commerce called me and I saw the packet for the first time, I literally couldn’t breathe.I was shell-shocked and utterly shattered. I wanted to die. No words could explain away or erase what had been written. I couldn’t see any possible way to live with the guilt and shame of being “outed” as a prostitute.If you’ve ever been tormented in a silent prison of shame over something you’ve done, haunted by a secret from your past, thought you were too broken, too bad, or too disgusting to be forgiven—you’re not alone.You haven’t been forgotten or abandoned. You’re loved more than you could ever imagine, and above all, you’re NEVER too far gone for grace..How would I know? Because grace saved a wretch like me.
 
CONNECT WITH NANCY MAJOR AT https://nancymajor.net/ 
 

”We Need to Talk” by Suzanne Seifert Groves

Suzanne Seifert Groves parlayed her B.A. in English from The University of Texas at Austin into a storied 35-year career in organizational communications, public relations, and marketing. She has served in leadership roles with several large organizations spanning multiple industries including higher education, healthcare, technology and travel and tourism. Her personal affinity for storytelling enabled her to help the executives and organizations she supported make valuable connections with their audiences. With just enough ADD to be dangerous, Groves is known for taking disparate ideas and weaving them into new creative or strategic concepts that have yet to be tried. Over the course of her career, she and the teams she has led have accrued more than 360 regional, national and international awards for communications, marketing and creative excellence from several prestigious programs including NYX MarCom, MarCom, Muse, Hermes, The Conference Board, PR Daily Content Marketing and more.
In 2020, Groves was named a "Top Woman in Communications," one of only nine women to be recognized in the Visionary category, by Ragan Communications/PR Daily in the inaugural year of the award. In 2014, she was named one of 24 "Great Women of Texas" by the Fort Worth Business Press. In addition to her professional career, she has served on numerous advisory boards including the Arlington Public Library, Leadership Arlington, Susan G. Komen of Greater Fort Worth, Alzheimer’s Association of North Central Texas, and as a member of the Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives Inc. Festival and Events Committee. In 2013, she earned her M.A. in History from The University of Texas at Arlington while working full time, and was named a University Scholar (a distinction only given to the top 1% of undergraduate and graduate students). Why history? Groves will tell you the discipline is a true study in leadership, which continued to inform her career as a communications strategist.
An admitted research junkie, Groves spends her time working on family genealogy for herself and for friends (when she’s not writing or editing). With their two children grown, successful, and likely not boomeranging home, she and her husband travel as frequently as possible, though it means leaving behind their two feisty German Shepherd Dogs and their very bossy cat. Of all her excursions, Groves will tell you one of her favorite memories is being dubbed “The Emu Whisperer” while on her honeymoon in Sonoma.
Learn more about Suzanne Seifert Groves and her work at: suzannegroves.com
 
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION:
About We Need to Talk and Suzanne's inspiration for writing the book
Why do people have trouble communicating effectively?
Information is not Communication
Communicating through Social Media
The Key to Effective Communication
What's next for Suzanne Seifert Groves?
 
WE NEED TO TALK
“We need to talk.” Nobody wants to hear it, and no one should ever say it.
So stop! It’s the worst way to begin a serious conversation, especially when you need something from the other person/s – their cooperation, their agreement or commitment, or a change in behavior.
Suzanne Seifert Groves has a 35-year career in organizational communication and here, in straightforward steps, she provides the ‘difficult conversation’ framework you’ve needed your entire career, and for every personal relationship as well.
How many times have you acquiesced, alienated, or just plain pissed off your staff, your clients, your partner, your kids, or your neighbors because you didn’t frame things correctly? We’ve all done it more frequently than we’d like to admit.
Along with the practice exercises, you’re going to want to make this methodology second nature because it will change how you think and speak about issues important to you. When “taken as directed,” the four-step process will transform every important relationship in your life (with no harmful side effects).

”Still, The Sky” by Tom Pearson

Tom Pearson is an artist and poet who works in dance, theater, film, visual art, and multi-media. He is known for his original works for theater, including the long-running, off-Broadway immersive hits THEN SHE FELL and THE GRAND PARADISE and as a founder and co-artistic director of the New York City-based Third Rail Projects and Global Performance Studio. 
Heis the author of two books, THE SANDPIPER'S SPELL and STILL, THE SKY.
Learn more about Tom and his work at https://tompearsonnyc.com/ 
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION
Connecting with Poetry at an Early Age
About Still, The Sky
Featured Artwork
Using different forms of poetry
Reading and interpreting poetry
Feedback on Still, The Sky
What's next for Tom?
STILL, THE SKY - Synopsis
Still, the Sky is a speculative mythology rendered through poetry and art that combines the tales of Icarus and the Minotaur and creates for them a shared coming-of-age through a correspondence of written fragments, artifacts, ecofacts, and ephemera. Fragmented memories, relics, and confessions combine in a labyrinth of fever dreams and meditations which contemplate innocence and experience, war and peace, exile and homecoming, flight and failure, love and loss.
 
 
Photo credits:
Headshot: Tom Pearson Courtesy of the ArtistMic Shot: Tom Pearson Photo by Joshua Dutton-ReaverPapers in the air: Tom Pearson Photo by Laura Bianchi courtesy of the Bogliasco Foundation 
 
 
 

The Mindful Author by Roxanne McCarty-O’Kane

Since 2007 Roxanne McCarty-O'Kane’s unique and multi-award winning method of storytelling has changed the lives of thousands of budding authors, allowing them to bring their messages to life in nonfiction books with structure, connection to the reader and potential profit.
A prolific ghostwriter, author, workshop facilitator, writing mentor and journalist, Roxanne’s presentations are charged with powerful content and tangible tools that remove the mystery from storytelling and ignite a thought-provoking and emotion-evoking theatre within the mind of aspiring authors.
Her book, The Mindful Author, has become a powerful resource for aspiring authors around the world to craft their manuscripts with clarity and a true sense of purpose and passion. 
This knowledge, and so much more, is brought to life through Roxanne’s intimate Ignite & Write workshops and mentorship programs, offering first-time authors the opportunity to navigate their journey to authorship with ease and confidence.
 
As an MC, presenter and speaker, Roxanne’s down to earth, relatable, humorous style engages her audience, inspires their minds and moves them to begin to think laterally about their own stories and how their lived experiences and knowledge journeys can have a greater impact on the world around them.
Learn more about Roxanne McCarty-O'Kane at http://www.roxannewriter.com/
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION
About Roxanne McCarty-O'Kane
About The Mindful Author
Transformation through Authorship and the Phoenix
Using The Mindful Author as a resource
Ghostwriting
The next books in the Ignite & Write series
THE MINDFUL AUTHOR
The Mindful Author is the first book in the Ignite & Write trilogy designed to step you through from your first word to complete book using the Phoenix Phenomenon process.
Within these pages, you'll find your inspiration and become empowered by the strength of your story as Roxanne leads you to transform your fears, roadblocks, and self-doubt into confidence and completion.
It's time to embrace the mindset of an author.
It's time to IGNITE your passion and WRITE your book.
The world is waiting for your message.
 
CONNECT WITH ROXANNE MCCARTY-O’KANE!
WEBSITE: www.roxannewriter.com
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/roxannewriter/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/roxannewriter/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75594136-the-mindful-author
 

The Final Steps by Mark M. Bello

As an attorney and civil justice advocate, author Mark M. Bello draws upon over 40 years of courtroom experience in his Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Series.
A Michigan native, Mark received his B.A. in English Literature from Oakland University and his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. After working extremely high-profile legal cases, Mark wanted to give the public a front-row glimpse of what victims face when standing up for justice.
Combining his legal experience and passion for justice with a creative writing style, Mark not only brings high-quality legal services to his clients but captivating novels to his readers.
When Mark’s not writing legal and political novels, he writes and posts about fairness and justice in the civil justice system on his website, Legal Examiner and NotFakeNews. In his spare time, Mark enjoys traveling and spending time with his family. Mark and his wife, Tobye, have four children and 9 grandchildren.
Learn more about Mark and his work: https://www.markmbello.com/ 
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION:
Catching up with Mark Bello
About The Final Steps
Branching Out - Writing in new genres and developing new characters.
Reading his work as a reader
What’s next for Mark?
The Final Steps
Summary: Who murdered a popular law professor on a northern Michigan college campus?Judge Rosaline Maxwell is living the good life. Retired from the circuit court bench, she now lives in the home of her dreams, lakefront in scenic Harbor Springs, Michigan. She’s written a fascinating new book and is invited to speak at a local college. But her idyllic existence is rudely interrupted by a call from her best friend, Tyler Guthrie, the college president.A popular law professor has taken his final steps—he is found dead at the bottom of a popular outdoor staircase. The police suspect foul play. There are no witnesses, but key pieces of evidence make Tyler the number one suspect. After his arrest, Rosaline doubts her friend’s innocence but still jumps into the fray, abandoning the law, antagonizing local police, becoming an amateur sleuth with one goal and one goal only: To prove, conclusively, that Tyler Guthrie is innocent of this brutal crime.Along the way, Rosaline receives anonymous death threats, warning her to stay away from the investigation, but the former judge will not be deterred from her quest for the truth. There is no shortage of interesting and quirky suspects as attorney/award-winning author Mark M. Bello keeps you guessing ‘whodunnit’ until the very end.
CONNECT WITH MARK BELLO!
Website: https://www.markmbello.comFacebook: @markmbellobooksTwitter: @markmbelloInstagram: @markmbellobooks
PODCASTS MENTIONED IN THIS INTERVIEW:
Links:
Inside Scoop Podcast – You Have the Right to Remain Silent
Justice Counts Podcast – Pushing Back Against Book Bans

Like Sapphire Blue by Marisa Billions

Marisa Billions is a high school English teacher in Southern California. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Criminology. She is the author of the fiction novels, This Too Shall Pass, Like Sapphire Blue, and Into the Blue Again and is supposed to be working on her upcoming fourth novel. She lives in Southern California with her wife, Stephanie and son Alexander and two Dogs, Max and Bonnie.
Learn more about Marisa and her work at https://authormarisabillions.com/
 
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION:
Catching up with Marisa Billions
Literary Awards and about Like Sapphire Blue
Writing the characters with authenticity and being fearless
Sapphic Novels and LGBTQIA+ Literature 
Growing as a reader and a writer
What's next for Marisa?
 
LIKE SAPPHIRE BLUE
Synopsis:
“Your eyes are amazing. I’ve never seen a blue like that.”Emma Landry is tough, independent, beautiful, and smart. Being an outcast unable to identify with her classmates, she was willing to do whatever it takes to climb her way out of poverty.“What color would you say they are?”Like Sapphire BlueHaving never known a mother’s love, her father “Bear”, raised her on the wrong side of the tracks in a wealthy town.When success beckons, the woman she’s been in love with is, finally, within her grasp. Life is now worth living and loving. That is, until a dark family secret is revealed. A secret tied into the very fabric of who she is, and what she spent a lifetime working to overcome.Faced with a foundation shattering treachery, Emma finds herself at the crossroads. Can she overcome a destiny stronger than death, destitution, and murder, to prove she is more than just her father’s daughter? Or will this new knowledge lead her to destroy the world she’s spent a lifetime building?
 
CONNECT WITH MARISA BILLIONS!
Website: https://authormarisabillions.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authormarisabillions
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormarisabillions/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMarisaBillions