Podcasts aplenty

The headline says “aplenty.” Maybe two isn’t really “aplenty,” but considering the podcast interviews I did came less than two weeks apart, and I’d only done one prior to that, I think “aplenty” works just fine.

My wife, Kimberly S. Hoffman, and I were interviewed by Johnny Lyles and David Banks for Brother Brother Beer Cast, produced by JL Media Today, in Indianapolis on June 9. The discussion centered not only on our books and our lives outside authoring, but also on what it’s like to have two authors in the same household. How do we deal with the others’ need to be alone and in the “writing zone?” That sort of thing. The experience was very enjoyable for both of us as Johnny and David did a fantastic job with the interview. I’ve done my fair share of interviewing over the years and can truly say that these guys are good at their craft.

Kimberly’s got two children’s books published thus far: “Emma’s Dancing Day” and “Sigmund Stanley Spider Squared.” I must say, they are wonderful rhyming books and beautifully illustrated. I’ve got two nonfiction books out: “Murder in Wauwatosa: The Mysterious Death of Buddy Schumacher” and “Wicked Columbus, Indiana.” My books are also available as e-books. Go to your local bookstore or search online and you’ll find them.

JL’s mission is “Helping Artists and Entrepreneurs Produce Their Dreams.” The company produces and hosts several Internet radio shows and podcasts, as well as offers a complete menu of recording and sound engineering needs.

Then, on June 21, I was interviewed by true crime enthusiast Erik Rivenes, who does a podcast based in Minneapolis called “Most Notorious.” We discussed “Murder in Wauwatosa” at length. This is the true story of an 8-year-old boy who went missing in 1925 and the investigation into his disappearance and killing.

I actually grew up in a house that the boy’s parents lived in from 1927 to 1969. My dad bought the house from Art Schumacher and I spent my formative years there.

Erik does a great job interviewing, too. He is the author of the Detective Harm Queen historical mystery series, including “The Big Mitt” and “Ill-Fame.” Most recently, his first nonfiction book was published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press, called “Dirty Doc Ames and the Scandal That Shook Minneapolis.”

Fresh out of college, Erik started an outfit called Saint Paul Gangster Tours, a tour company that took guests on a 1920s and 30s “Crooks Tour” of Saint Paul. Dressed as Babyface Nelson in his pinstripe suit and fedora, and wielding a replica Thompson sub-machine gun, he escorted people to the sites where John Dillinger, the Barker-Karpis Gang and Al Capone hung out, hid out, shot it out, and played the night away in the Saintly City.  At least that’s the way Erik describes it on his website.

The podcasts that my wife and I did should be up in a few weeks. I’ll let everyone know when they’re up.

By the way, my first podcast interview came in May 2016 and was conducted by famed Columbus, Indiana, comedian Jeff Bodart for his “Kinda Makes You Think” podcast on iTunes. You can catch that interview here. It’s Episode 14.

I’ve also done some radio interviews and one TV spot since “Murder in Wauwatosa” came out in 2012. I’m eager to see how the podcasts turned out.