Type.Tune.Tint.

The combination of musical talent and digital technology has created a new breed of artists who can create amazing music at home using a computer and a keyboard. It’s one thing to create tunes as a hobby. It’s quite another to identify a market for that music and sell it. In this episode, we meet Evan Oxhorn who has done just that. He’s recorded hundreds of songs and stock music tracks that have earned him thousands of dollars from...

Can one devastating mistake erase 20 years of good?

The road to redemption for volunteer EMT Griffin Ambrose is dark, indeed--a crashed ambulance, a dead patient, an injured partner, then testing legally drunk. After going to jail, losing his EMT card and getting fired from his paid job, he contemplates a new life in exile.

But some of his former patients haven't forgotten the good he did, the lives he saved. Will their support ...

As recently as the 1980s, women firefighters were rare, especially in light of the tough road a group of New York women had in achieving their dream of becoming members of the FDNY. But they did it and around the same time a young woman in Florida named Cindie Schooler-Ball embarked on a career in the fire service there. A product of poverty in Ohio, then jumping from job to job as a teen and young woman in Florida, Cindie was enco...

Sal Panicci wasn’t looking to work retail in his youth in New Jersey, but the blind ad in the Newark Star Ledger was inviting. Seeking to get out of jobs that were unstable, he went for the interview and discovered the job was for a management trainee at Toys R Us, the nationwide chain of toy stores that dominated the market for a generation. His short book In the Toy Box is a recollection of his almost 30 years working for the pre...

After surviving a transient childhood, a knife fight, brain cancer and the death of his wife, Dan Henk’s survival is a story in itself. But he’s not dwelling on the tragic tales. He is a successful tattoo artist who was in the right place at the right time to benefit from the resurgent popularity of body art. He has been around the world, done illustrations for magazines and bands and is a self proclaimed “Master of Horror,” a prin...

The title is a tad snarky but it’s all in good fun as we hear from writer/singer/producer/actor Sudi “Rick” Karatas about his newest song and music video. The title is a play on the famous Mariah Carey song, but the words and concept bear no resemblance. It’s a lighthearted tune about holiday betrayal. It’s played for laughs with slapstick and humor. And in an unusual twist, there are two versions of the music video, one in which t...

Elementary school teacher Sabine Posy did her share of virtual teaching during COVID while her two young children learned virtually in the next room. Her daughter Nora was a social butterfly who got antsy sitting in front of a monitor. Her son Nate, younger and already a shy boy, worried her. When the lockdowns were lifted and it was time to go back to school, would Nate’s socialization be harder?

She was pleasantly surpri...

In less than 48 hours, Jae Logan went from having a stomach ache to learning she might die. A wife and mother of two young children, her mind raced to cope with the possibility of an early death and how she could possibly tell her kids. Miraculously, her prognosis wasn’t so dire after all, but she was left with the same question: What’s the best way for a parent to talk to young children about a serious illness, especially one that...

A lifetime of fishing presented a challenge to Bob Gonzalez in writing his book  A Flicker In The Water. Was it possible to capture the visceral sensations of being on a boat miles from shore in the Gulf of Mexico, breathing the salt air, feeling the ocean spray and getting the adrenaline rush that ensues when a big fish bites and takes you for an hours-long battle? I submit that he met the challenge.  His book of fish tales is bas...

For the 10th year in a row, the Independent Authors Book Experience hosts an expo of independent authors and their work, free and open to the public. This year's event takes place Saturday, September 30th, 12noon-6pm at Kean University's Downs Hall, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ. The mastermind behind the book expo ant the IABX is Renaee Smith, founder and CEO, an independent author with a series of children's books ...

The Handmaid's Tale, the dystopian vision of women as fertile slaves to a ruling elite, describes the Unwoman as the lowest class of woman who is shunned because she protests, thinks for herself, expresses independence and follows her own path. It's no wonder, then, that musician Erica Mulkey chose Unwoman as her stage name, a performance persona dedicated to being her own advocate. This independent songwriter, singer, mu...

Children's books are harder to write than one might think, according to Yona Diamond Dansky whose new book, Wishes and Knishes, elevates the Jewish pastry called a knish to a place of importance for young Kaley and her grandmother whom she calls Bubby.  The author's story contains a number of simple lessons parents or teachers can impart on their kids including the joy of cooking, responsibility and the importance of pass...

A kid from Jersey makes good. Twice. That's Joe Sernio's story. He's a successful entrepreneur with a digital marketing company going strong after fourteen years. But he's always dabbled in the acting trade starting after high school and all during his tenure as a CEO. Now, after 20 years of passing out headshots and resumes, 2023 is Joe's breakthrough year. He's received rave reviews for his tour de f...

There are a lot of people worldwide who are into Steampunk, and almost as many ways of describing it. Wikipedia says Steampunk is "a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. " As we find out in this episode, Steampunk is a form of creative expression among people who enjoy crafting, sculpting, painting, dressing and...

What are your favorite summertime memories? For Philly kids like Charles Wiedenmann and me, it's going down the shore, the Jersey Shore, home of beach resorts like Ocean City, Atlantic City and of course, Wildwood. Chaz's new book, Down the Shore, is an affectionate memoir of days of youth in Wildwood, the quintessential Jersey Shore resort. It has everything--cool rides, infinite food choices, wide beaches and a family-f...

Author Jennifer M. Lane turned her passion for an old Jeep into inspiration for her novel Of Metal and Earth. It's the story of a Jeep and the seven people who own it over its lifetime. The trials and tribulations of those humans form the heart and soul of the book and it may appeal to anyone who's had a soft spot in his/her heart for a car.  But as you might imagine, it is Jeep owners who have launched Of Metal and Earth...

From the moment she takes the stage, Big Momma is in charge. After 11 years of performing as a standup comic, Big Momma is now in demand. From comedy clubs to weddings, churches to cruise ships, this Jersey girl gets around and leaves them laughing each time.

Big Momma's real name, Tia Williams (she says that's just for the tax man) graces her social media and web pages. But her Big Momma persona is her money maker, even t...

Audiobooks are here to stay, thanks to easy downloads, wide availability and the flexibility of listening devices. You can listen on your smartphone, in your car, the possibilities are endless. My audiobooks haves been reduced in price and are a great venue for entertainment whenever you have the time. Stop and start at will. Pick the time and place. Earbuds, headphones, or blast it through your TV. Have a listen as I do my best so...