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podcast

Nov 19
Love18

Samuel Marquis

By Author, Podcast No Comments

This week on Here’s What We Know, step into the world of pirates and hidden histories with bestselling author Samuel Marquis. In this conversation, we dig into the life of Captain William Kidd and explore where fact meets myth. Samuel shares how his family’s connection to Kidd opened the door to a deeper look at piracy, courage, politics, and the stories that shape our understanding of early America.

We talk about the rise of pirate legends, the real struggles sailors faced on the open seas, and the untold strength of Kidd’s wife, Sarah Bradley Cox Kidd. Samuel also gives us a look into his writing process and how he works to honor history while still telling a powerful story.

If you love rich conversations about identity, resilience, and the truth hidden behind old legends, this episode will pull you right in.

This episode is sponsored by:

In This Episode:

  • Samuel Marquis and his unique connection to Captain Kidd
  • How real pirate life compares to the stories we tell
  • The political tides that changed Captain Kidd’s fate
  • The overlooked resilience of Sarah Bradley Cox Kidd
  • What early piracy reveals about the birth of American identity
  • Why these stories still capture our imagination today

Quotations:

“When I wrote Blackbeard first, I learned a lot about Captain Kidd in the process and the Golden Age of Piracy. And then later I said, God, I’d better do a nonfiction book on Captain Kidd because I really want to tell as good a story as anybody that’s ever done it.”  ~ Samuel Marquis

“Captain Kidd is 100% a history book with 94 pages of endnotes and bibliography. It is not a historical fiction book. But it’s narrative nonfiction, pure American history.”  ~ Samuel Marquis

“Captain Kidd’s story is a huge political scandal and the trial of the century. It’s not just a little pirate tale. It’s one of the greatest trials of all time, and it’s one of the greatest political scandals in English history.”   ~ Samuel Marquis

Bio:

The ninth-great-grandson of legendary privateer Captain William Kidd, Samuel Marquis, M.S., P.G., is a professional hydrogeologist, expert witness, and bestselling, award-winning author of twelve American non-fiction-history, historical-fiction, and suspense books, covering primarily the period from colonial America through WWII. His American history and historical fiction books have been #1 Denver Post bestsellers and received multiple national book awards (Publishers Weekly Starred Review, Kirkus and Foreword Reviews Book of the Year, American Book Fest and USA Best Book, Readers’ Favorite, Beverly Hills, Independent Publisher, Colorado Book Awards). His historical titles have garnered glowing reviews from bestselling authors, colonial American history and maritime historians, U.S. military veterans, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and Foreword Reviews (Starred, 5 Stars).

Guest Contact Info:

Website: https://samuelmarquisbooks.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammarquisbooks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samuelmarquisbooks/

Nov 13
Love23

Kathy Reichs

By Author, Podcast No Comments

The queen of forensic fiction is back!

This week on Here’s What We Know, New York Times bestselling author and forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs is back to celebrate the release of Evil Bones, her 24th Temperance Brennan novel. From balancing grim mysteries with witty moments to revealing how real-life quirks inspired Tempe’s world, Kathy shares stories that remind us why readers keep coming back. You’ll also hear how she keeps up with forensic science, her favorite character dialogue, what sets the books apart from the Bones TV series, and why Birdie the cat will never die.

This episode is sponsored by:


(Use code “Gary” to get $89 off any service!)

In This Episode:

  • The delicate art of using humor to illuminate dark subjects
  • How Kathy’s writing process keeps Tempe Brennan evolving
  • The science and heart behind Evil Bones
  • Why readers forgive a character’s death, but never a pet’s

Evil Bones out November 18th! Pre-order now!

Quotations:

” What’s gonna be funny for some people is not going to be funny for other people. And that’s just the way it is.” ~ Kathy Reichs

“I think Skinny Slidel is my favorite character. He’s certainly my favorite character to write. I love to write Skinny dialogue.” ~ Kathy Reichs

“I usually start thinking about it before I’ve finished the previous book. You know, it kind of begins intruding on the next storyline. By the time I do a little bit of outlining, not a whole lot of outlining. So I really just kind of jump into it, and I maybe outline six or eight chapters. And then I just jump into it and start writing.”  ~ Kathy Reichs

“People will let you kill off you, a character, but don’t kill off an ant. Don’t kill the dog. They’ll be very unforgiving if you kill the dog.”  ~ Kathy Reichs

Bio:

Kathy Reichs’s first novel Déjà Dead catapulted her to fame when it became a New York Times bestseller and won the 1997 Ellis Award for Best First Novel. Her other Temperance Brennan books include Death du Jour, Deadly Decisions, Fatal Voyage, Grave Secrets, Bare Bones, Monday Mourning, Cross Bones, Break No Bones, Bones to Ashes, Devil Bones, 206 Bones, Spider Bones, Flash and Bones, Bones Are Forever, Bones of the Lost, Bones Never Lie, Speaking in Bones and the Temperance Brennan short story collection, The Bone Collection.   In addition, Kathy co-authored the Virals young adult series with her son, Brendan Reichs. The best-selling titles are: Virals, Seizure, Code, Exposure, Terminal, and the novella collection Trace Evidence. The series follows the adventures of Temperance Brennan’s great niece, Tory Brennan.  Dr. Reichs’ latest novel, Two Nights, was released July 11 and features Sunday Night, a tough-talking, scarred heroine.  Dr. Reichs was also a producer of the hit Fox TV series, Bones, which is based on her work and her novels.

From teaching FBI agents how to detect and recover human remains, to separating and identifying commingled body parts in her Montreal lab, as a forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs has brought her own dramatic work experience to her mesmerizing forensic thrillers. For years she consulted to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina and to the Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Québec. Dr. Reichs has traveled to Rwanda to testify at the UN Tribunal on Genocide, and helped exhume a mass grave in Guatemala. As part of her work at JPAC (Formerly CILHI) she aided in the identification of war dead from World War II, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Dr. Reichs also assisted in the recovery of remains at the World Trade Center following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Dr. Reichs is one of only 100 forensic anthropologists ever certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. She served on the Board of Directors and as Vice President of both the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, and is currently a member of the National Police Services Advisory Council in Canada. She is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

Dr. Reichs is a native of Chicago, where she received her Ph.D. at Northwestern. She now divides her time between Charlotte, NC and Montreal, Québec.

Guest Contact Info:

Website: https://kathyreichs.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathyreichs/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathyreichsbooks/

Nov 05
Love36

Tim Nichols

By Music, Personal Growth, Podcast No Comments

This week on Here’s What We Know, Grammy-winning songwriter and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Tim Nichols joins us for a heartfelt look at the magic and grit behind nearly four decades in country music. 

Tim opens up about four decades in country music, the miracle of songwriting, and what it really takes to build a lasting career in Nashville. From his first publishing deal in 1986 to crafting hits for legends like Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Ronnie Milsap, Tim shares what keeps him passionate about his craft and why he still calls every song “a little miracle.”

You’ll hear the inside story of “Live Like You Were Dying,” how collaboration shapes Nashville’s best songs, and why “writing bad songs” is just part of becoming great. Plus, Tim talks about his next chapter as a keynote speaker, helping people and businesses alike realize they truly belong in the room.

This episode is sponsored by:

(Be sure to tell them Gary sent you!)

In this episode:

  • The miracle of songwriting and the discipline behind it
  • What it really means when a song is “on hold” in Nashville
  • Why rejection fuels resilience for artists and athletes alike
  • Behind-the-scenes stories with Faith Hill, Ronnie Milsap, and Mark Knopfler
  • The making of “Live Like You Were Dying” and its lasting emotional impact
  • How Tim’s message “You Belong in the Room” inspires creators everywhere

Quotations:

“I feel like every time a song gets written, it’s this little miracle.” ~ Tim Nichols

“I started writing lots of bad songs, and little by little, I figured it out. If there are any new writers out there listening, writing bad songs is just part of the process. That’s what it takes.” ~ Tim Nichols

“When you don’t believe that you belong in the room, one of the things that happens is you keep your best ideas in your pocket, because you’re too nervous to share them when you feel like you don’t belong in the room.” ~ Tim Nichols

Bio:

Tim Nichols, Grammy-Winning Songwriter & Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Member

With nearly two dozen hit songs, multiple BMI songwriting awards, and a Grammy for Best Country Song, Tim Nichols has earned his place among Nashville’s most respected and enduring songwriters.

In 2004, Tim co-wrote Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying,” which spent ten consecutive weeks at #1 and broke a thirty-year Billboard record. The song went on to win every major country music award that year, including honors from the CMA, ACM, Billboard, BMI, ASCAP, and the Nashville Songwriters Association International—a feat no other song has ever achieved.

Tim’s songwriting credits stretch across decades and generations, helping launch the careers of Jo Dee Messina with “Heads Carolina, Tails California” and Dustin Lynch with “Cowboys and Angels.” His work also powered chart-toppers for artists like Chris Young (“The Man I Want To Be”), Faith Hill (“A Baby Changes Everything”), and Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, Lee Ann Womack, and Keith Whitley.

Most recently, Cole Swindell reignited one of Tim’s classics with “She Had Me At Heads Carolina,” which spent five weeks at #1 and earned the iHeart Radio Country Song of the Year.

Beyond the charts, Tim is deeply committed to giving back. He’s served on the boards of the Country Music Association, High Hopes Preschool and Pediatric Therapy Clinic, and the Nashville Songwriters Association International, continuing to champion both the craft of songwriting and the community that sustains it.

When he’s not on Music Row writing his next hit or sharing stories from a life in music, Tim brings his passion for creativity and collaboration to keynote stages across the country—helping businesses and teams discover how the same principles that create hit songs can also drive success in any industry.

Guest Contact Info:

Website:

https://timnicholskeynotes.com

https://www.timnicholsofficial.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timnicholstn/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimNicholsMusic/

Oct 29
Love35

Gina Scarpa

By Personal Growth, Podcast No Comments

This week on Here’s What We Know, we welcome voiceover artist and creative powerhouse Gina Scarpa. You may not recognize her face, but you’ve definitely heard her voice, from radio airwaves to major video games and promos for brands you know by heart.

Gina opens up about her journey from hand-delivering cassette tapes to radio stations in Connecticut to becoming a full-time voice actor and respected coach. We’ll explore the evolution of media, the realities of creative reinvention, and why finding your authentic voice, literally and figuratively, matters more than ever.

This episode is sponsored by:

(Be sure to tell them Gary sent you!)

In this episode:

  • The grit and heart behind building a voiceover career from scratch
  • How rejection can fuel resilience instead of fear
  • Why authenticity beats perfection every single time
  • The parallels between gaming, storytelling, and self-discovery

Quotations:

“I think a lot of people have an attitude in all industries that, like, something is beneath them and they shouldn’t, you know, they don’t need to do it, but I think you should be open to doing, you know, whatever it takes to get where you’re trying to go, you know, within reason.” ~ Gina Scarpa

“I thought because of my background in theater, radio, and podcasting, that I could just make a natural switch into voiceover. And I found out that it was way harder than I thought it was going to be. And when I listened back to things even from five or six years ago, I was like, “I can’t believe that I’m the same person, and then I managed to get where I was trying to go.” But it was a lot of coaching, a lot of work on myself, a lot of improving, and being open to that feedback that I think got me, you know, where I am now, which is great.” ~ Gina Scarpa

“If you suck, you need to know.“ ~ Gina Scarpa

“One of the best things to come out of voiceover was learning a lot about myself. Like, how do I feel about certain situations, or how do I handle different types of emotions?” ~ Gina Scarpa

“It’s an opportunity every day for something new to happen, and that’s always very exciting.” ~ Gina Scarpa

Bio:

Gina Scarpa is an accomplished professional voiceover artist and coach. She is currently available to appear as a guest on podcasts and can speak on a number of engaging topics. With a wide array of interests, Gina is a great podcast guest for a variety of programs.

Gina has spent decades in radio broadcasting and voice acting. She is proud to have voiced national TV and radio commercials. Additionally, Gina has voiced video games and corporate content for some of the biggest brands in the country. 

Some of Gina’s happy clients include VistaPrint, Burger King, Xfinity, L’Oreal, and Invesco. Gina also has a passion for both voicing and playing video games. She is a competitive gamer and is accomplished in Valorant, League of Legends, and other competitive games.

Before taking her VO career full-time, Gina spent many years as an on-air radio DJ. She has also worked as a reality television journalist. As a potential podcast guest, she is able to speak on many topics that may grow your audience. With humor and warmth, she would be a good fit for your list of interested guests.

Gina is also an award-winning teacher and director. She was named the 2019 ACE Educator of the Year by the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County in CT. She is also the founder, owner, and Creative Director of Positive Voices Studio. This program provides coaching and educational programming for children, teens, and rising adult voice actors.

Guest Contact Info:

Website: https://ginascarpa.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginascarpa/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ginascarpa/