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02-15-25 A Panel of Fantastic Thriller Fiction Novelists Talk About Their Books, Writing Process, the Thriller Genre - Ocean House Author Series

Join Deborah Goodrich Royce and a panel of fantastic thriller fiction novelists for a talk about their books, their writing process, and the thriller genre.
About the Authors: 
Sara DiVello is a mystery writer and the creator/host of Mystery and Thriller Mavens, a popular author series. Sara loves connecting with fellow mystery-lovers on her social media platforms. She also serves as the director of social media strategy for the International Thriller Writers association. Sara’s first book, “Where in the OM Am I?” was the NIEA-winner, selected by SHAPE Magazine as a best book, and named a must-read for anyone considering a career change by Working Mother. Her articles have been published in Marie Claire, Elle, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, and Woman’s Day, among others. In her spare time, she loves to teach yoga, cook (and eat!), garden, and go for leisurely walks with her husband and their beloved rescue mutt, Pelu.
Jean Kwok is the international bestselling author of Girl in Translation, Mambo in Chinatown, and Searching for Sylvie Lee, which was a Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club pick and an instant New York Times bestseller. Her work has been published in twenty countries and is taught in schools across the world. She has been selected for numerous honors, including the American Library Association Alex Award, the Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Award and the Sunday Times Short Story Award international shortlist. She immigrated from Hong Kong to Brooklyn when she was five and worked in a Chinatown clothing factory for much of her childhood. She received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and earned an MFA from Columbia University. She currently lives in the Netherlands.
Liv Constantine is the pen name of sisters Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine. Lynne and Valerie are national and international bestselling authors with over one and a half million copies sold worldwide. Their books have been translated into 29 languages, are available in 34 countries, and are in development for both television and film. Their novels have been praised by The Washington Post, USA Today, The Sunday Times, People Magazine, and Good Morning America, among many others. Their debut novel, THE LAST MRS. PARRISH, is a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection.
Luanne Rice is the New York Times bestselling author of 35 novels including Last Day, Dream Country, Beach Girls, Pretend She’s Here and others, Rice often writes about love, family, nature, and the sea. She received the 2014 Connecticut Governor’s Arts Award for excellence and lifetime achievement in the Literary Arts category. Several of Rice’s novels have been adapted for television, including Crazy in Love for TNT, Blue Moon for CBS, Follow the Stars Home and Silver Bells for the Hallmark Hall of Fame, and Beach Girls for Lifetime.
Juliet Grames was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in history from Columbia College. For the last twenty years she has worked in book publishing and is currently Editorial Director at Soho Press in New York. She is the recipient of the Mystery Writers of America’s Ellery Queen Award and Italy’s Premio Cetraro for contributions to Southern Italian literature. She is the author of two novels, THE SEVEN OR EIGHT DEATHS OF STELLA FORTUNA and THE LOST BOY OF SANTA CHIONIA.
Elise Hart Kipness is a television sports reporter turned crime fiction writer. The KATE GREEN series is based on Elise’s experience in the high-pressure, adrenaline-pumping world of live TV. Like her main character, Elise chased marquee athletes through the tunnels of Madison Square Garden and stood before glaring lights reporting to national audiences. She is currently Co-President of Sisters in Crime Connecticut.
For more information about the authors on this panel, visit oceanhouseevents.com/events. For details on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com

02-13-25 Nature over Humans - A Walk In The Park

This week, Jane talks about how humans can choose to leave their mark.

02-14-25 Pianist/Keyboardist Joe Sample - Jazz After Dinner

 This week, Joe is featuring Pianist/Keyboardist Joe Sample from his 1993 Warner Brothers Records recording “Invitation.” 

02-16-25 Narragansett Bay Symphony Community Orchestra - Conducting Conversation

The Narragansett Bay Symphony Community Orchestra is the subject of this week's program with Luis Viquez, Guest Conductor, and President Greg Henninger. We talked about their upcoming concert and listened to some of the music that will be presented on March 2nd at the E. Greenwich H. S. Auditorium. For more information, you can call (401) 274-4578 or go to www.nabsco.org

02-08-25 New York Times Bestselling Authors Meghan Riordan Jarvis/End of the Hour and Catherine Newman/Sandwich Discuss Their Novels - Ocean House Author Series

Join us as Ocean House owner and author Deborah Goodrich Royce moderates a conversation with New York Times bestselling authors Meghan Riordan Jarvis and Catherine Newman as they discuss their novels End of the Hour and Sandwich. 
About Meghan Riordan Jarvis is a podcast host (Grief Is My Side Hustle), two-time TEDx Speaker, and psychotherapist specializing in trauma and grief and loss. After experiencing PTSD following the deaths of both of her parents, Jarvis founded Talking Point Partners to help employers address complex emotions such as grief in the workplace. Jarvis is currently at work on Can Anyone Tell Me Why: 25 Essential Questions About Grief and Loss, which publishes with Sounds True Media in 2024. Originally from New England, Jarvis currently lives in Maryland with her husband and their three children, where competing piles of LEGO bricks and books cover most surfaces of their house.
About End of the Hour “A frank chronicle of healing.”—Kirkus Reviews Esteemed trauma therapist Meghan Riordan Jarvis knew how to help her patients process grief. For nearly twenty years, Meghan expected that this clinical training would inoculate her against the effects of personal trauma. But when her father died after a year-long battle with cancer, followed by her mother’s unexpected passing while on their family vacation, she came undone. Thrown into a maelstrom of grief, with long-buried childhood tragedy rising to the surface, Meghan knew what she had to do―check herself into the same trauma facility to which she often sent her clients. In treatment, trading the therapist’s chair for the patient’s couch, Meghan took her first steps toward healing. A brave story of confronting life’s hardest moments with emotional honesty, End of the Hour is for anyone who has experienced the unpredictable, lasting power of grief―and wondered how they’d ever get through it.
About Catherine Newman has written numerous columns, articles, and canned-bean recipes for magazines and newspapers, and her essays have been widely anthologized. She is the author of the novel We All Want Impossible Things; the memoirs Waiting for Birdy and Catastrophic Happiness; the middle-grade novel One Mixed-Up Night; and the bestselling kids’ life-skills books How to Be a Person and What Can I Say? She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.
About Sandwich “Sandwich is joy in book form. I laughed continuously, except for the parts that made me cry. Catherine Newman does a miraculous job reminding us of all the wonder there is to be found in life.”–Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Lake. “A total delight.”–Kate Christensen, author of The Great Man and Welcome Home, Stranger. From the beloved author of We All Want Impossible Things, a moving, hilarious story of a family summer vacation full of secrets, lunch, and learning to let go.
For more information about author Meghan Riordan Jarvis, visit meghanriordanjarvis.com, and for Catherine Newman, visit www.catherinenewmanwriter.com. For details on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com

02-06-25 Trusting - A Walk In The Park

This week, Jane discusses how nature inspires us to keep moving forward in the face of brokenness.

02-07-25 Saxophonist Joe Henderson - Jazz After Dinner

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Saxophonist Joe Henderson from his 1992 Polygram Records recording, “Lush Life, The Music of Billy Strayhorn.”

02-09-25 Newport Classical Chamber Series - Conducting Conversation

Newport Classical is the program's subject with Trevor Neal, Artistic Director, this week. We talk about their upcoming concert season that will run at the Newport Classical Recital Hall in Newport and listen to music related to those performances. For more information, you can go to www.newportclassical.org 

02-01-25 The Sound of Music 60th Anniversary - WCRI‘s Kids Hour

On this month's WCRI's Kids Hour episode, host Jamie lets you enjoy the music of the Sound of Music during its 60th Anniversary!

02-01-25 Seaside Pharmacy - The 95.9 Company Break

In this week's 95.9 Company Break program, Mike talks with Bill Quirk, owner, and pharmacist at Seaside Pharmacy in Westerly, RI. Seaside Pharmacy is an independently owned pharmacy, convenience store, and small gift store that opened in November 2013. At Seaside, we strive for excellence in all our endeavors and prioritize customer satisfaction. We look to provide superior pharmaceutical care and education to all customers and patients. We will offer prescription drugs, vaccinations (including influenza and shingles), homeopathic remedies, health and beauty items, vitamins, and home health products (such as durable medical equipment). Other products include phenomenal greeting cards, seasonal items, quality skin care, candy, and chocolates! For more information, call (401) 637-4577

01-30-25 Fluid - A Walk In The Park

This week, Jane discusses the human tendency to want things to stay the same.

01-31-25 Vocalist & Multi-instrumentalist Milton Nascimento - Jazz After Dinner

This week Joe is featuring Vocalist and Multi-instrumentalist Milton Nascimento from his 1993 Warner Brothers recording, titled “Angelus” 

02-02-25 Community Music Works - Conducting Conversation

Community Music Works is the subject of this week's program with Sebastian Ruth, Founder and Artistic Director. We talk about their brand new building, their work with music education in the schools, and their upcoming concerts in the next few months. For more information, you can go to www.communitymusicworks.org

01-25-25 London's Charlton House Mulberry - This Old Tree

In this episode of This Old Tree, Doug introduces us to London's Charlton House Mulberry. Did you know the British are mad about mulberries? A 415-year-old black mulberry tree stands at Charlton House & Gardens, the oldest specimen in London and highly beloved. Its story involves King James I and a courtier named Sir Adam Newton, the tutor to the King's eldest son, Henry. It also involves a government decree gone awry.

01-23-25 Snow - A Walk In The Park

This week, Jane remembers the power of nature.

01-24-25 Steps Ahead - Jazz After Dinner

This week, Joe is featuring the group Steps Ahead from their 1989 Intuition Records recording titled “N.Y.C.” 

01-26-25 R.I. Wind Ensemble - Conducting Conversation

This week, the R I Wind Ensemble is the program's subject, and it features Dr. Robert Franzblau, the conductor, and Historic Music of Newport's Mark Stickney, the organization's founder. We talk about their upcoming Spring Concert and listen to some selections that will be performed on their February 16th concert at the Newport Marriott. For more information, you can go to www.riwe.org
 

01-18-25 Authors Annabel Monaghan/Summer Romance & Alix Strauss/The Joy of Funerals Discuss Their Books - Ocean House Author Series

Join Ocean House owner and author Deborah Goodrich Royce for a conversation with authors Annabel Monaghan and Alix Strauss as they discuss their books Summer Romance (Annabel Monaghan) and The Joy of Funerals (Alix Strauss).
About Annabel Monaghan: Annabel Monaghan is the author of LibraryReads pick Same Time Next Summer and Indie Next and LibraryReads pick Nora Goes Off Script, as well as two young adult novels and Does This Volvo Make My Butt Look Big?, a selection of laugh-out-loud columns that appeared in the Huffington Post, the Week, and the Rye Record. She lives in Rye, New York, with her family.
About Summer Romance: The heart-tugging and hilarious story of a professional organizer whose life is a mess, and the summer she gets unstuck with the help of someone unexpected from her past, by the bestselling author of Same Time Next Summer and Nora Goes Off Script.
Benefits of a summer romance: It’s always fun, always brief, and no one gets their heart broken.
Ali Morris is a professional organizer whose own life is a mess. Her mom died two years ago, then her husband left, and she hasn’t worn pants with a zipper in longer than she cares to remember.
No one is more surprised than Ali when the first time she takes off her wedding ring and puts on pants with hardware—overalls count, right?—she meets someone. Or rather, her dog claims a man for her in the same way he claimed his favorite of her three children: by peeing on him. Ethan smiles at Ali like her pants are just right—like he likes what he sees. He looks at her as if she’s a version of herself she hasn’t been in a long while. The last thing newly single mom Ali needs is to make her life messier, but there’s no harm in a little summer romance. Is there?
 
About Alix Strauss: Alix Strauss is a trend, culture and lifestyle journalist; an award-winning, four-time published author; speaker; and frequent contributor to The New York Times. Her books include: The Joy of Funerals (St. Martin’s Press & Palagram Press), Based Upon Availability (Harper Collins), and Death Becomes Them: Unearthing the Suicides of the Brilliant, the Famous and the Notorious (Harper Collins). She is also the editor of Have I Got a Guy for You (Simon & Schuster), an anthology of mother-coordinated dating horror stories. Her work has been optioned for several TV and film projects. A media-savvy social satirist, she has been a featured lifestyle, travel, and trend writer on national morning and talk shows including ABC, CBS, CNN, and the Today Show. During the past 25 years she has written over 1500 articles. Her articles, which have appeared in Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Conde Nast Traveler, the Financial Times, Time Magazine, and Departures, among others, and cover a range of topics from trends in beauty, travel, and food to celebrity interviews. The Joy of Funerals is an Ingram Award winner and was named Best Debut Novel by The New York Resident. Alix was the inaugural “First Chapters” pick, Cosmopolitan Magazine’s new launchpad of fiction excerpts, giving readers exclusive sneak peeks of gripping new work. Her essays and short fiction have appeared in the Primavera Literary Journal, Hampton Shorts Literary Journal, The Idaho Review, Quality Women’s Fiction, The Blue Moon Café III, Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish: The Heeb Storytelling Collection, and A Kudzu Christmas. Her short story, “Shrinking Away”, won the David Dornstein Creative Writing Award. She is the recipient of several awards and fellowships from programs such as the Wesleyan Writers Conference, the Skidmore College Writerʼs Institute, the Sarah Lawrence Summer Program, and the Squaw Valleyʼs Screenwritersʼ Summer Program. Alix lectures extensively and has been a keynote speaker, moderator, or panelist at over 200 conferences, symposiums, seminars, and summits including The Southern Festival of Books, The Northwest Bookfest, The New England’s Writer’s Conference, Wesleyan Writer’s Conference, The 92nd Street Y, New York University, Center for Communications, University of Connecticut, and Columbia University. She was chosen to speak at the National Jewish Book Festival and is on the National Speakers Bureau for Israeli Bonds. Alix Lives in Manhattan. You can connect with her at alixstrauss.com or @alixstrauss.
About The Joy of Funerals: From the very first page, readers are drawn into the strange, often humorous world where nine women grapple with sex, power, love, and death. Meet a widow who lusts…a daughter who aches…a lover who obsesses…a shopaholic who hungers… a daredevil who desires…a single woman who longs…an outsider who hopes…an artist who craves…and a funeral-junkie who needs. These are the women who inhabit the eerily honest, often heartbreaking world Alix Strauss has created in The Joy of Funerals.
Throughout this powerful and provocative collection, these characters explore the basic need for human connection while seeking to understand themselves better. It is the ‘where do I belong’ and the ‘how do I fit in’ that these sad, bright and amazingly strong women seek to answer.
In “Recovering Larry,” a woman mourns for her dead husband by having sex with grieving men. In “Shrinking Away,” a woman pays a daring shiva call on her psychiatrist’s widow. “Swimming Without Annette” explores a woman’s obsession with her wife’s killer, while “Still Life” peers into the life of a pregnant artist who wishes to paint herself out of a bad marriage and into a prettier world. In “Post-Dated,” a single woman wonders if her recently defunct date was perhaps the perfect man.
Read independently, these vivid and raw stories stand on their own. When read as a collection, they are anchored together by the novella, “The Joy of Funerals,” which follows the life of Nina, a lonely, single thirty-something woman who attends the funerals of the deceased characters in the previous stories.
Begun as an essay in the Lives column of The New York Times magazine, The Joy of Funerals is written with raw wit, mordant humor and a uniquely penetrating voice as Strauss turns the spotlight on the unattractive subjects of loss, grief and loneliness.
For more information about author Annabel Monaghan, visit annabelmonaghan.com and for Alix Strauss, visit alixstrauss.com For details on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com

01-17-25 Guitarist & Composer Pat Metheny - Jazz After Dinner

This week on Jazz After Dinner Joe features Guitarist and Composer Pat Metheny from his 2002 Warner Brothers Records recording, titled “Speaking Of Now.”

01-16-25 God & Nature - A Walk In The Park

This week, Jane discusses a connection to nature that is important.