A Summer. A Bar. A 19-Year-Old kid Who Thought He Knew Everything.

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Picture this: You're 19, your girlfriend just transferred to Colorado, your parents just moved to a new town, and you're completely lost. Then your dad bumps into an old college buddy at a Chicago bar, and suddenly you're living in a basement on Dearborn Street, serving drinks to a crowd that's about to teach you everything college never could.

That's exactly what happened to Peter Tiernan. And 40 years later, he finally wrote it down.

Why This Episode Is Different

Billy and Melissa don't just interview Peter. They dig into the meat of what it means to turn your life into art. How do you take something deeply personal and make it universal? How do you capture the voice of who you were decades ago? And why do some stories demand to be told, even when you've been avoiding them for half your life?

The conversation bounces from Ray Bradbury to Hemingway, from the brutal reality of book marketing to the simple truth that "it's always about the people." But at its heart, this is about connections—the ones we make, the ones we lose, and the ones that change everything.

What You'll Hear

• Why Peter waited 40 years to write about the most important summer of his life
• The real story behind working at one of Chicago's most legendary bars
• How self-publishing freed him from chasing the "great American novel"
• The difference between being a writer and being an author (spoiler: it matters)
• Why networking isn't marketing, It's humanity

For Anyone Who's Ever...

• Wondered what happened to the people who shaped you
• Felt like their story was too small or too messy to matter
• Struggled with turning their experiences into words
• Missed the Chicago that used to be (or wishes they'd been there)
• Believed that the best stories come from the most unexpected places

The Bottom Line

This isn't your typical author interview. It's about four people who understand that books are more than just products. They're connections between writer and reader, between past and present, between who we were and who we have become.

Peter's book Once in Chicago is available on Amazon and at your local bookstore through Ingram Spark. But honestly? Listen to this episode first. You'll understand why some stories refuse to stay buried, and why the messiest chapters of our lives often make the best books.

Because sometimes the most important question isn't "What happened?" It's "Why did it take so long to tell?"

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. Warning: May cause intense nostalgia for a Chicago you may have never even experienced.

Connect with Melissa @ - https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissagwilson/
Connect with Billy @ - https://www.linkedin.com/in/billydexter/
Connect with John @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-st-augustine-1b3192/