This week I’ll be traveling to the Southeastern Independent Booksellers Alliance book show in Daytona Beach, Florida to share with these great heros of the written word stories about the new novel,  The Miracle of Mercy Land, and the  forthcoming narrative non-fiction, Praying for Strangers.

In recognition of the ongoing nation-wide celebrations taking place for the 50th Anniversary of one of my favorite novels – To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee – I’ve pulled our show featuring Kerry Madden, author the new autobiorgraphy with Harper Lee, out of the vault for your pleasure. It’s a great show and I hope you can tune in and enjoy!

ON THE AIR, ON LINE, AND ON DEMAND (After the Show airs Live)

LISTEN LIVE HERE on Friday Mornings at 9:00am CST

LISTEN AT YOUR LEISURE HERE 9/10/10 Clearstory Show AUDIO

Join us today as Kerry Madden pulls up a chair and talks about writing, storytelling – and story catching! She’s one of the most beloved writers on the circuit anywhere and if you ever meet Kerry you’ll understand why. It was her writing skills, listening ear, and passion for southern stories that singled her out as the perfect author to capture stories surrounding one of the South’s finest – Harper Lee. As part of biography series, Kerry Madden wrote Up Close Harper Lee which has subsequently received great reviews and the honor of numerous one book read selections. Kerry first captured the attention of young adult readers with her novel Offsides, (William Morrow) selected by the New York Public Library as one of the Ten Recommended Books of 1997 for Mature Teens. Her second book, Writing Smarts: A Girl’s Guide to Writing Great Poetry, Stories, School Reports, and More!, (American Girl Library) helps kids craft their own stories and poetry. The first book in her Maggie Valley series, Gentle’s Holler (Viking Juvenile Books), was published in 2005. Set in the town of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, in the Smoky Mountains, these are books about the laughter, love, music, and hardships of a family with ten children in the 1960s. Louisiana’s Song (2007) and Jessie’s Mountain (2008) were published in rapid succession due to reader demand. In 2009, Viking published Up Close: Harper Lee, a biography of the To Kill a Mockingbird author written for teens. Other works include her newest short story, “Seeds of Destruction,”which was a finalist for the Raymond Carver Short Story Prize, published by Carver Magazine in May of 2004. Her play, “Chattanooga Flamenco,” was a finalist at Ensemble Studio Theatre in 2002 and 2003. An essayist, she is a frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times and online publications. One of Kerry Madden’s favorite books on writing is If You Want To Write by Brenda Ueland. Highly recommend from an award-winning author, creative writing instructor, Professor and someone who knows writing. Highly recommended. For those traveling to Nashville for the Southern Festival of the Book in October, Kerry will be presenting on Sunday so be certain to look for her on the schedule and meet her in person. Don’t miss a great show featuring festivals, writing conferences, great new reads, writer and reader getaway’s and special musical interludes. Celebrating the Power of Story. Join Us!