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Hello My Happy People,

Welcome to the last month of Lovefest. We move into March with a different kind of love: not romance, but the steady, sustaining love of friendship, mentorship, and belonging.

Award-winning scriptwriter Kristine Jensen has spent her career shaping narratives across film, marketing, and documentary storytelling, earning three Telly Awards along the way. Now she brings that storytelling depth to her debut novel, Wednesday Club.

Inspired by the real handwritten minutes of her grandmother’s rural women’s club in South Dakota, Wednesday Club takes readers back to 1963. Sixteen-year-old Ivy Hanson is sent to live on her grandparents’ farm after her Hollywood-bound mother leaves her behind. Reluctantly serving as secretary to a group of older women who meet monthly to discuss current events, serve their community, and share the realities of rural life, Ivy slowly finds herself drawn into their world.

In this episode, Kristine shares how a box of forgotten notebooks that became the inspiration for her novel, what it took to write her first book while working full-time, and why stories about women and friendships matter.

This Lovefest episode celebrates the love that holds communities together and the quiet power of women who show up for one another.

Wednesday Club Website

Wednesday Club on Facebook

Wednesday Club on Instagram

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Hello My Happy People,

We are wrapping up our first month of Lovefest, and this week we’re highlighting a dystopian kind of love story.

Today, I am joined by award-winning author Monte Schulz to talk about Undercity, his chilling dystopian novel that explores authoritarian collapse, survival, and finding love in midst of it all.

Monte always knew he wanted to be a storyteller and spent decades immersed in the creative arts. He earned his M.A. in American Studies from UC Santa Barbara, spent ten years crafting Crossing Eden, a sweeping Jazz Age epic, and has produced original music under the name Seraphonium.

He not only has his own publications, he owns and teaches at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, where he continues to mentor new writers. Raised in a home filled with creative energy (his father is Charles M. Schulz, the mind behind Peanuts) Monte carved out his own artistic legacy through music and fiction.

In this episode, we talk about his writing process, how history informs his work, and what it means to create art that reflects the world we live in, and the one we hope for.

Monte's Website

Undercity Website

Metropolis Website

Monte on Facebook

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Hello My Happy People,

This episode continues our Lovefest celebration, and this time we’re exploring a different kind of love. Not the spark of romance, but the fierce, protective love that shows up in moments of crisis.

In this episode of Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt, I sit down with Jacque Gorelick to talk about her forthcoming memoir, Map of a Heart: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Finding the Way Home.

After losing her mother at eight and spending her childhood searching for belonging, Jacque believed she had finally found stability in marriage and motherhood. Then an ordinary day ended in a frantic 911 call when her husband collapsed from cardiac arrest. What followed was a terrifying stretch in an ICU waiting room as she advocated for his life while caring for her newborn and navigating complicated family dynamics.

In our conversation, we talk about balancing a medical crisis while managing motherhood, extended family, and the unexpected support that came from people in her life. We also discuss what it means to write through trauma and how putting lived experience on the page can come with its own emotional reckoning.

If Lovefest is about honoring all forms of love, this episode is a powerful reminder that love is not just romantic. It is steadfast, sustaining, and sometimes revealed most clearly in the hardest moments.

Jacque's Website

Jacque on Instagram

Jacque on Blusky

Jacque on Facebook

Buy Jacque's Book

Jacque on Substack

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Hello My Happy People,

We are keeping the Lovefest momentum going with today's guest. I get to share my chat with science fiction author and YouTuber John Newton. John's work blends historical science fiction, time travel, and big questions about faith, ethics, and choice. What is not to love about that?

We talk about his novel The Healing Stone, the first book in the Shadows of Time series. Set in medieval Spain, the story follows a young man who discovers a mysterious stone capable of healing anything, just as a hidden war over time itself begins to unfold. It’s a time travel science fiction story rooted as much in human cost and moral responsibility as it is in history and speculation.

John shares how his background in electrical engineering, robotics, and theology influences his world-building, why themes of healing and trauma run through his fiction, and how science fiction can explore faith and ethical dilemmas without becoming preachy or losing momentum. We also talk about mixing YouTube, writing, and storytelling, and where the Shadows of Time series is headed next. We even had the chance to geek-bond over quantum theory.

It’s a thoughtful, approachable conversation about time travel, belief, and what happens when the power to heal collides with the consequences of changing history.

John's Website

John's YouTube Channel

John on Facebook

John on Instagram

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Bleeped words: Murd3r3d x 4

Hello My Happy People,

Oh, how I missed you! But we are back with a BANG to start Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt—Book Talk Podcast Season 5. We are kicking off Lovefest with someone who embodies pure creative joy. E. K. Johnston is not only a multi-#1 New York Times bestselling author and a dedicated professional who takes her craft seriously, she is also an unapologetic Star Wars fan who ended up writing for the franchise while still being one of its biggest fans.

In this episode, she talks about stepping into the galaxy far, far away to write Star Wars™: Ahsoka, what it means to love a franchise from both sides of the page, and why fandom has always been a natural part of her creative life. We also get into her love of LEGO® builds, including the massive Rivendell set that proves she has the patience of a saint and the heart of a true Lord of the Rings fan.

E.K.'s personality really shines in this conversation. She is funny, warm, insightful, and intensely passionate about storytelling. Whether she is talking about her recent book Sky on Fire, her worldbuilding process, or her lifelong love of epic worlds and big ideas, her passion shows up in everything she does.

She is the perfect person to open Lovefest because she reminds us all why we fall in love with stories in the first place. Her enthusiasm is contagious, her dedication is admirable, and her joy for her favorite fandoms makes this episode the best possible start to Season 5.

Subscribe to Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt—Book Talk Podcast on your favorite podcast streaming service and never miss any of our amazing authors.

E.K's Website

E.K. on Instagram

E.K. on Tumbler

Buy E.K.'s Books

E.K. on Penguin Random House

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• Dianne Burckhardt, Award-Winning Indie Author
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Happy Hiatus Finale People,

I am so thrilled that we have reached the end of our Season 4 Hiatus! I think it is rather fitting that I get to share my incredible interview with award-winning author Joel Shulkin, MD, with all of you to celebrate. Not only is Joel a practicing physician, but he is also the author of engaging medical thrillers.

There is nothing I love better than when actual professionals in the medical and criminal investigation fields write thrillers. You know you are going to get stories filled with accurate details that give you that extra something to really drive the drama.

Joel is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and United States Air Force veteran with a master’s in public health, and he has used this background to enhance his amazing storytelling. His books Adverse Effects and Toxic Effects, the first two novels in the Memory Thieves series are great examples. He has also penned award-winning short stories and poetry with more books already scheduled for 2026.

When we first chatted back in episode 175, we talked about his recent book Heroic Measures, a forensic technothriller in his new Death Benefits series. Joel lives in Florida with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs.

Have you subscribed to our podcast yet? You don't want to miss out when we begin Season 5 next Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026!!

Joel's Website

Joel on Facebook

Joel on Instagram

Get a Signed Book

Joel on Amazon

Joel on TikTok

New Book: Spontaneous Remission

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Bleeped words: naz!, prost!tute

Happy 2026 People,

Dianne is excited to share this amazing Season 4 replay with you while we wait for Season 5 to begin. In this episode, you get to join her chat with romantic women's fiction author, Linda Hughes. For many years Linda worked internationally as a seminar leader and public speaker. It was her dream job. It allowed her to meet people from other countries and cultures from around the world. When Linda finally made the decision to settle down and become a full-time writer, one of her goals was to share those incredible experiences in her novels.

As a native Michigander, Linda uses this familiar setting for her stories as well, especially Mackinac Island. Linda considers herself an armchair historian and finds the local history fascinating everywhere she goes and always finds ways to weave it into her books.

Linda lived in Georgia for many years with her husband, but the couple has since moved to Oklahoma to be near family. Linda confesses that while she loves her family, she still misses Georgia.

Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast so you don't miss out when Season 5 begins Feb. 4, 2026.

Linda's Website

Linda on Facebook

Linda on Instagram

Linda on Amazon

New Book in Collection: Second Chance Series

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Bleeped words in this episode: M@ss@cre, 3x Sl@ughter, Ass@ssin@tion

Happy 2026 People,

Dianne is pleased to share this hiatus replay of her interview with the amazing Miles Spencer. Miles is a self-described curious guy from Pittsburgh who strayed far from home—and even farther from the expected path to create an incredible life and career that is as fascinating as it is impressive.

For more than 30 years, he’s mentored tech founders, built and sold three digital media companies, and helped create over 1,000 jobs. He co-hosted his own show on PBS with Cliff Ennico called MoneyHunt, a predecessor to shows like Shark Tank. The pair also co-authored the book, MoneyHunt: 27 New Rules for Creating and Growing a Breakaway Business.

But Miles' story goes well beyond boardrooms and balance sheets. An avid explorer, he once led over 1,500 people across 14 miles of open sea by kayak and has trekked more than 1,000 miles through the deserts of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria. That desert journey inspired his current release, A Line in the Sand, which is a bestseller and is currently sitting in the top 10 in three categories on Amazon.

These days, you can find Miles investing in digital media, entertainment, and consumer brands, while also managing teams, painting watercolors, spending time with his family, and planning new adventures and future publications.

Check out today's episode and hear all the incredible details from the man himself.

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss out on Season 5 beginning Feb. 4, 2026.

Miles' Website

Miles on LinkedIn

Miles on Amazon

Hold My Beer

New Book Coming in 2026: Havana Famiglia

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About Dianne:

• Dianne Burckhardt, Award-Winning Indie Author
• Meet Dianne EP 1: Who Am I?
• Dianne Burckhardt on Facebook
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