“All love is risky. People die, they leave, they don’t listen to you—but you love them anyway.” — Virginia DeLuca When Virginia DeLuca’s husband unexpectedly walked out on their marriage in his 60s—claiming he wanted children—her gut reaction wasn’t just heartbreak. It was: If you must go, I wish you triplets. That quip became the…

“We spend so much of our life trying to put the pieces back in the dollhouse… the furniture changes, the people change.” — Beverly Jean Armento In this emotional episode of Uncorking a Story, Michael Carlon sits down with author and educator Beverly Jean Armento to discuss her powerful memoir, Seeing Eye Girl. Beverly reflects…

“I’ve always believed that within the realm of what’s possible, I can do it—and fiction was just another challenge to embrace.” — Iris Mitlin Lav In this episode of Uncorking a Story, Michael Carlon uncorks the remarkable second act of Iris Mitlin Lav, a seasoned public policy expert who turned to fiction writing after retirement….

“My dad looked at me [from his deathbed] and said, ‘It just went so fast.’ I asked what did, and he said, ‘Life.’ That moment changed everything—I knew I had to write the book.” — Jennifer Griffith On this special Mother’s Day episode of Uncorking a Story, I sit down with Jennifer Griffith—host of About…

“Your marriage can be anything you want it to be—you don’t have to just follow a supplied script.” — Wayne Scott In this deeply honest and thought-provoking episode of Uncorking a Story, writer and psychotherapist Wayne Scott opens up about the emotional terrain behind his memoir The Maps They Gave Us. We dive into his…

“I learned that I’m dogged… I didn’t abandon it, and that became very important—not giving up.” — Janet Constantino In this soulful and insightful episode of Uncorking a Story, psychotherapist-turned-novelist Janet Constantino shares the winding journey that led to her debut novel Becoming Mariella. A former competitive Latin ballroom dancer with Sicilian roots and a…

“The whole idea of historical fiction is to fill in the gaps in the emotional feeling of the participants in the crisis.” — Barbara Southard In this episode of Uncorking a Story, historian and debut novelist Barbara Southard shares the emotional and intellectual journey behind her novel Unruly Human Hearts. Drawing from her academic roots…

“We’ve got to start thinking of ourselves as the Earthling tribe.” — Dr. Peter Solomon In this eye-opening episode of Uncorking a Story, scientist and author Dr. Peter Solomon shares how his passion for physics, sparked in a college classroom, led to a lifelong mission to communicate science through storytelling. We explore his Stardust Mystery…

“Don’t be your own no—if the answer is no, let someone else say it. Don’t take yourself out of the race because of your own insecurities.” – Joanne Howard In this episode of Uncorking a Story, we sit down with debut novelist Joanne Howard, author of Sleeping in the Sun, a historical fiction novel inspired…

“The writing is the easiest part. It’s everything after that—the marketing, the visibility, the noise—that makes this business so tough. But you’ve got to keep going.” — Rochelle Weinstein Bestselling author Rochelle Weinstein joins Uncorking a Story to reflect on the career crossroads that changed her life. After walking away from a successful role in…