Speaker 1 00:01:01 Good wherever you are in the world. Thank you for joining disability and progress. Will we bring you insights into ideas about and discussions on disability topics? My name is Sam. I'm the host of this show. Charlene dolls, my research team, Annie Harvey was my engineer. And tonight we have Antia Petta on the show who was an author of many books who will be talking about her latest and greatest a string of stories that evening. And we also have Leanne Rowe and Graydon shooter. I think I actually even got that hello guys, wherever you are. Okay. We'll keep going. So, um, they will be joining. They are the narrators and hopefully they'll be joining us soon. Um, so, uh, I just wanted to announce that them so that we would know, cause I'll be talking to them a little later, but thank you very much. Annie.
Speaker 1 00:02:02 Annie has been on the show, uh, quite a few times for her books. So, um, this latest one is a string of stories and Annie, I want you to start out because there, obviously there's going to be people who don't know you and didn't hear your last ones. I can't imagine why they wouldn't have, but uh, let's just start out by talking a little bit about you and tell people what, um, what made you decide to become an author. Okay. So, um, short history lesson, I guess, right. That's right. Um, would maybe, maybe become an author was, uh, was when I, um, I had a very vivid imagination as a child and I love to read and, uh, that just got me writing. So I would write kind of funny little things and,
Speaker 2 00:03:00 Um, little by little, I just expanded stuff. You know, I wrote poetry in school. Um, and I, you know, and I just loved to read, I loved words. I loved the way they strung together. And I loved funny words. I'd love to try to, you know, um, sound out words that were just really hard to, to spell and things like that. So, um, and then, uh, when I was 28, I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and I started to lose my visual world. And I worked as a, um, a designer of acrylic furniture. And I couldn't do that anymore. And after, um, a period of time where it was just really difficult for me to just try to, uh, address, you know, that creativity and also my adjustment to blindness, I started writing poetry first. It was poetry about being sad or angry or upset about, you know, my predicament and feeling sorry for myself and that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 00:04:00 And then it kind of morphed into other things. And I had a couple of my professors in college that I, I had a good grasp of things and they encouraged me and I took more classes and literature, and I wrote a lot of papers in school and, uh, one thing led to another and I was writing all, you know, a lot, um, all the time. And then, uh, in, after I got out of graduate school, uh, you know, I started, you know, finding a little bit of success in like these small journals and things, writing poetry, uh, and then in 2016, um, my mom was diagnosed with cancer and she told me that she wanted me to write a book of poems and dedicated to her. So that's what I did. So that was my, my first book in 2016 is called upwelling. And I haven't stopped since. So I write about a book a year.
Speaker 1 00:04:58 There's uh, uh, you know, when you think about your past, do you think, yeah, I want to become an author, but that's different than when you, you know, wanting to become an author. And then when you hit some point where you think I am an author, what was that point for you?
Speaker 2 00:05:16 Hopefully, uh, I think it was when I did my first public poetry reading, uh, and it was just thrilling to me to be in public and people just waiting to hear and to listen to what I, to what I was going to say. That is the awesomest feeling in the world. I got to tell you, it is.
Speaker 1 00:05:43 So how many books to this date have you written?
Speaker 2 00:05:47 I have four books. Uh, so I have a poetry book upwelling. Then I have, um, a memoir called follow your dog, a story of love and trust. Then I went back to some and some non-fiction exit essays called words of life. Um, uh, I have five books. Sorry, did I say four? You did math. And I have, uh, the book that we're going to be talking about tonight called the string of stories from the heart to the future and as 14 short stories.
Speaker 1 00:06:21 Uh, let's see. Well, excellent. All right. So, you know, I know that you kind of have written in a lot of different genres. What's your favorite to write in?
Speaker 2 00:06:36 Oh, I did. You have to ask me that?
Speaker 1 00:06:39 Well, as I like to stretch the imagination, I like to, I like to have people know things that they don't know about, you know?
Speaker 2 00:06:48 Uh, I think I, like, I think Don fiction is my most is where I'm most comfortable. Uh, so I would say probably the nonfiction, the essays, uh, uh, memoir, writing, things like that, but that, you know, but when I really finished something that I feel proud about, it's when I do something well in fiction, because so much harder for me so much harder.
Speaker 1 00:07:14 Is that your favorite genre to read is fiction? Yes. Ah, gotcha. So your writing genre and reading are different, that are your favorites.
Speaker 2 00:07:25 Yeah. Cool. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:07:28 I think that makes you, you know, gives you some diversity. Um, and I, I wonder what do you feel makes a good book or a good story?
Speaker 2 00:07:40 A question. I think that once you finish reading a book, well, let me go back. Okay. Um, if you're not going to get, if you're going to get past the first couple of chapters and you can't put it down and you have to stay up until three in the morning to finish it, that's a really good book. Okay. So same thing with a story. Like if you finish that story and the last line makes you feel something, whether it's even if it's disappointment, I can't believe they ended it there or, or wow. Or where you feel like, wow, that was, you know, that was really touching or if it brings emotion into your life or, you know, or you think about it in a resonates with you, then the author has done their job.
Speaker 1 00:08:27 Excellent. Um, I have often been told and I, I'm pretty sure you've even said this probably that, um, authors don't like to pick their books are like children. They don't like to pick favorites. Um, but, but if, um, you had to say, what is your book? What book have you had the most, that you were the proud of? What would that be?
Speaker 2 00:08:59 Oh, probably avoid. Well, they're so different and John rhe, so I, you know, it's, it's hard to, to choose, but I think follow your dog probably would be my favorite because it exposed so much of me personally and my struggles and, and that took a lot of courage. I mean, there were years, there were times where I was like, I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I could share all this with people. I, I had, I struggled with that.
Speaker 1 00:09:32 Is that the same as like the hardest and easiest book for you to write? W are those the same, do you think? Or is there one that was the hardest one? That's the easiest.
Speaker 2 00:09:46 Wow. I think, I think after, after I did follow your dog, everything else came easier because to me that was my, my expo's a novel. Like, it was like, you know, like it was, if I'm going to tell people about who I am and what I struggled with, and I did that already, then I could write about anything. Right. And anything. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:10:09 You had some pretty strong, you know, emotional areas you've written. And I wonder, like that would be really hard to share because that's a part of you when you share something that's so vulnerable, it's out there and you cannot retract it. So, so everyone knows. And I was just wondering, have you ever regretted anything that you have like shared in this type of situation and think, well, maybe I shouldn't have exposed that much of myself.
Speaker 2 00:10:47 No, I I'm pretty sure. Um, I'm happy with the, I guess the, the, the amount that I've shared, the, you know, and the, and the emotional content of it. Um, yeah. I have, I have no, no regrets.
Speaker 1 00:11:07 Well, that is good because that means you can sleep with yourself at night. So that's important. Um, we have Leanne and Graydon with you, uh, that are your readers. I want to ask you, how did you choose them as your readers for a string of stories?
Speaker 2 00:11:29 Well, um, I met, um, Leanne first through, um, my book preparation services, people, um, Lillian and David Lorcan and, uh, I listened to some of her samples and then we got, you know, we talked and it was like, we clicked. And that was it. I was just was, so I had so many, uh, I was so nervous at first, you know, and then once I spoke to her, I realized, wow, I can, I can do this. I can, I can, you know, I can allow somebody to, um, express my work for me. And I think that was the biggest hurdle for me was, was to, you know, was, you know, to let it go and say, okay, um, somebody else is gonna, uh, read my stuff. Excellent. Yeah. So,
Speaker 1 00:12:19 So Leanne and Graydon, are you guys with us?
Speaker 3 00:12:25 Yeah. Yeah. Um, I can definitely tell Annie that is nervous that she was, I was nervous too, because taking on like personal poetry is really a journey and you want to do it right by the author, but Annie was so, uh, caring and she gave great feedback. Sometimes. I don't know if I understood what she was saying and she'd say, Oh, what's this. And other times I was crying through some of her poems. So yeah, she is just a joy to work with. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 00:12:52 So Leanne, if you don't mind, give us a little history about you and how long you've been reading.
Speaker 3 00:12:57 Oh yeah. Um, I'm originally from Oklahoma. Uh, I went to school for musical theater in New York city, and then I moved to LA and long story short. Uh, I wrote a, a couple of novels with a friend of mine and I kept on telling my husband, like, I think I want it to be an audio book. And then one day for my birthday, he bought me a mic and said, you keep on talking about it. Maybe you should try it. So, um, I just started recording the novel and a bunch of my friends were like, you should definitely go forward with this. And so once I put up that audio book, then it was just work. We get more work. Like I've never stopped working since that first audio book came out. It's been just exhilarating. Um, I had a friend of mine recommend me to DLD books, which brought me to Amie. So that's kind of in a, in a nutshell of the process of becoming a narrator. So
Speaker 1 00:13:49 Do you have a favorite genre that you like to read in?
Speaker 3 00:13:53 Oh, I like all of them, actually. It's kind of fun because a lot of times you're voicing either all of the characters or the majority of the characters and like what actor doesn't want to play a whole bunch of different parts. So I'd say probably instead of genre, my favorite kind of character to play is typically the villain. I have a lot of fun with British ladies who were, you know, they talk like this all the time and have things to say, like, those are a lot of fun for me, but, um, yeah, I just, I really, I am blessed every day and really enjoy what I do. So have you had to do a lot of different accents? Uh, I have, uh, I've gone through, uh, British and like Southern and I just did a full novel in a New York accent, uh, because the author was a new Yorker.
Speaker 3 00:14:39 Uh, so yeah, it's a, it's a journey I've stepped into recently, one that was fringe and another, that was a Hawaiian, which was very interesting. Um, but you know, it's just, it's a learning process and just a beautiful thing to hear it when it's finished. So when you are asked to do an accent and if it's not one year really familiar with, how do you go learn that I have this wonderful thing called a partner and my narrating partner Graydon is, is, uh, where I thought I was kind of teased phenomenal. So it's almost like having a, a tutor in the studio with me because if I just can't grasp it, he's got it. Uh, who will watch a TV show and the next day he can do the actors accents or like doing personations of them right away. So I like to say I have this secret, but it's, it's him a lot of the time for sure. Um, so some of them, like, I can't do the work on my own, but other times I need, I need his help because we just did, what was the one in Austrian? Yeah. I just did an Australian accent for a book that just recently came out and that was a challenge. So I just never done that before. So great. And tell us a little bit about you and your history and how you got started being a reader.
Speaker 4 00:16:03 Absolutely. Well, the, the, this is a hundred percent true, but the cutest part of this story is that when I was five years old taking road trips with my family, I said, one day, I'm going to do that because we were listening to what were then books on tape. And I said, I'm going to do that someday. And my parents were very supportive of their five-year-olds dreams. I was also going to be an astronaut and a fighter pilots, a rockstar, and a super scientist who could cure all of the diseases ever. Um, but one of those things actually happened. Uh, I came to LA to pursue a career in voiceover, uh, and, uh, fast-forward through a bunch of crazy turns that life takes that have nothing to do with voiceover, but, you know, our lives, the journey is what makes us who we are. But eventually, uh, I got on track with, um, with audio books and I had sort of forgotten my childhood dream until I started doing it.
Speaker 4 00:17:05 And it was kind of like coming home and realizing, wait, this is what I want to do. I was lucky enough to take some class is with a guy who knows the business really well, as well as the art form very well. And, uh, this was back about 10 years ago when audio books were going from almost exclusively controlled by the big publishers to individual rights holders, like Annie being able to chart their own course with their own narrators. And so I got into, uh, into narrating then, uh, and never really left, but, uh, for about eight years, nine years, it was something that I did fit in around all the other things that I do. A lot of folks in LA multihyphenate, they spread themselves pretty thin. Uh, and it's, but in the last year, year plus, uh, it has been 60 to 80 hours a week, every week, recording and editing and researching and so forth.
Speaker 1 00:18:04 Well, a lot of people have that theater background. Did you have that?
Speaker 4 00:18:10 Oh, absolutely. Um, I am, I'm one of those, uh, pardon me while I push up, you can't see this, of course. Uh, but pardon me, while I push up the bridge of my glasses, stick my nose in the air and say that I'm a classically trained, uh, stage performer, uh, which is a hundred percent true. Um, but, uh, it is interesting to see how many of those core core skills translate over to whatever sort of, of performance art you're trying to do, because no matter what the medium, you're trying to tell a story, it's just the difference is just which tools you have access to. Uh, and I would certainly not be a tiny fraction of the narrator that I am today. If I didn't have that background, that'd be somebody completely different. And I met doing a show. We were actually on stage doing.
Speaker 1 00:19:02 And what, what show? I think we lost you guys, you guys there. Okay, well, we'll wait for them to come back, but, um, while we're doing that, Annie, I wonder this is, I believe that, um, a string of stories, um, is your current book. And can you tell me why you actually, this is probably the first one you have that's in odd audible, right?
Speaker 2 00:19:36 Actually, this is my, my, uh, my third book, ah, is on audible.
Speaker 1 00:19:45 You've had a couple on audible then. How, how does one get a book on audible?
Speaker 2 00:19:52 You, well, you, um, first you have to create an account with, um, the ACX, um, portion of, of audible, which is like the author part of the site. You know, you create an author's accounts, et cetera, et cetera. That's where you would upload your files, things like that. Um, and then you, uh, you record your files and then you upload them to their specifications and, uh, you wait until they say, Oh, everything's great. Um, I mean, there's, it's not as simple as that. There are, there are different things you need to do. Um, you know, you have to make sure you have, you know, the back matter, done all the front matter done and, um, have it done the way they want it, you know? So, um, they're, you know, they're pretty critical, but I've got to say Leanne and Grayson are great. They, um, uh, you know, they're just, they, they handled all of the, uh, the technical stuff for me because the ACX platform, isn't exactly a hundred percent accessible and usable, and they changed cha they just changed things again, after, you know, the platform was, was the same for a long time and then, and they upgraded it again.
Speaker 2 00:21:07 And so then some of the accessibility got lost. So, um, you know, as a, you know, a writer with a visual impairment, uh, you know, I'm very fortunate to find the people that can assist me, uh, with, uh, with that portion of, of recording. Uh, if there's, and there's also the decision of whether or not you want to record it yourself, or whether you want to have somebody narrate the book for you, or whether you want to have more than one person do it. Um, um, having a duet, um, I was really excited about it, cause I think it's a, it's a creative edge now, um, to have, um, a narration team. And, uh, I think what, um, Lily and Graydon did for me is just, just, just really cool. I had so much fun just listening to what they did and, you know, I just, and I, I just I'm so tickled. So,
Speaker 1 00:22:03 So it feels like, um, the audible, I mean, audible books have been around for a long time. I remember listening to books on tape as well. And of course we all know Bard, um, any of us who use that format, but it feels like audibles just kind of exploded in for awhile now. And so do you find that more people are aware of your stuff that wouldn't have been because they heard it on audible? Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:22:35 Yeah. I actually do think that, I think that, you know, uh, maybe four or five years ago, someone said, well, you know, your books on audible people like, Oh, okay, that's nice. But now you say people like really well, that's great. Where is it? You know, there's so much more, there's so much more attention to it now.
Speaker 1 00:22:53 So in your book, you say short stories, challenge the writer as much as if, um, or if not more than a full length book. Why, why do you think that?
Speaker 2 00:23:09 Because you're telling a story, uh, very succinctly and every word has to count. And not only that the mechanics have to be, um, pretty much, uh, perfect in terms of rolling this story along and you have to choose where you want to leave the story you want to you, you don't want to, um, you know, I personally, I don't like cookie cutter endings. I like the more, um, you know, offset endings or the endings and make you say, Oh, I don't want to, you know, so, uh, yeah, so
Speaker 1 00:23:46 All of those things have to come together and you have to do it in 3000 words or less. That's really challenging. And it's very thrilling when you know, you've done it. And you finally can say the end, actually this book drove me crazy because I felt like some of the stories they just stopped. And I was like, what, what, wait a minute, what happened? So I, I, I think you should write a short story is part two and carry on with some of these characters because I wanted to know more. So I want to talk about that. A string of stories. Um, I guess I'm curious to know, because there's several different stories in here. Um, what short story spoke to you to the most you guys can pick? What was your favorite one to read in there?
Speaker 3 00:24:44 Um, I personally fell in love and it's the shortest story in the string of stories with a trolley, right. It reminded me so much of like a Twilight zone, which is something that I just love. I love when they do the marathon for holidays. Like I could just, there's one that was kind of similar to that storyline. And I was like, Oh, it's going to, it's going to, I just want to, was done. I just didn't want it to end. It was so good. And so all the way around, uh, like engaging and terrifying all of a sudden, like, I think it's two minutes to an entirety, but Annie does this really genius thing that I remember from growing up. But there's a story later or where, when a girl goes to an arcade for a birthday party and she's, she's younger, she's, you know, 12, 13.
Speaker 3 00:25:31 And when she goes into the party, the mom comes up and asks her to put her coat on the table with all the other kids. And what's funny is I, I hadn't thought about that in years, but that's exactly the kind of thing that would happen when I was younger and would go to friend's parties. Like you would, you have to dig through all of these coats to find, like she struck a very human cord for sure. Um, about your favorite? Um, well, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm going to cheat and do two, two, I guess, uh, because I have to say I had a ton of fun with Lafayette 10, uh, with, uh, which is the science fiction sample. Uh, in this collection. I had a lot of fun with the aliens in there, and I won't say anything more about that, but just, just finding their voices was a tremendous amount of fun. Um, but I think if I had, if I had to pick my favorite story, uh, it would probably be bad medicine. Um, th the thing about that story that really got to me was the father son relationship, uh, that, that is a very, very important element in that story. Um, uh, I, I was very,
Speaker 4 00:26:44 Very close to my father and I lost him last year. And so while we were, thank you, I, I appreciate that. It's, it's been tough. Um, but that the relationship, the sort of the sort of gruff, uh, relationship where they don't necessarily always see eye to eye, but they definitely care a lot about each other really resonated with me and, uh, and, and has stuck with me. And they were also just really interesting individuals and th the story as a whole has some, some pretty rich material to it as well. But it was that relationship that really, really grabbed me, I think,
Speaker 3 00:27:19 Oh, and we both really laughed a lot during the story, uh, surprise visitor with, with the bells. Good give away this day, but he liked it so much. I had to call Annie later and I was like, I think I wrote you an email, Annie, either whore. And I was like, is this, is this a true story? It's so clever and so much fun, but I don't want to ruin it. I'm just gonna, like, you know, it, it it'll it'll have you laughing. It does seem like it could have been one of those crazy stories that really happened. Um, well, I'd like to have people take a listen to a piece. Um, I believe it's called a temporary perspective set. The one you have, uh, we had, uh, blue jeans. Oh yeah. Blue jeans. Oh, okay. All right. That, wasn't the first one though. Like that isn't the first one, but that's okay.
Speaker 3 00:28:16 Go ahead and do that one. Okay. Um, how do I look? Asked Deb changing the subject, turning around for her friends. They both nodded you have the best ass in those jeans. And I hate, you said Ashley appreciatively and your skirt is perfect. The color red is you you're so curvy. Like Jennifer Lopez. Yeah. Said Chelsea, I looked weird and red. They each apply to cologne, spritz and popped in a breath strip. Then went into a bar. Dad finished her beer and left a tip to cover both her and Cranston. Now don't you use this for another round. You hear? She said pointing to the $5 bill on the table. Cranston wink.
Speaker 4 00:29:03 No way. Young lady you've been more than
Speaker 3 00:29:05 Generous with me tonight. Deb smiled back and went to where Chelsea was slow dancing with her newfound partner. I'm leaving. Do you have a ride home? Chelsea pulled her lips off her partners long enough to mumble. Yeah. Figs call me tomorrow that went to the booth where Ashley was making out with her new conquest. I'm leaving. Ashley, do you have a ride home? She wished that just once she was in the booth, instead of Ashley, she loved her. But at times she ended the way men flock to her platinum blonde hair and Willie lo billowy. We figure why didn't anyone notice her own low-pass light curves. She took a look at the pool table. The cowboy she'd been admiring, still had his back to the booth so much for that earlier that night, he thought about asking him to play a game of pool, but had chicken down.
Speaker 3 00:30:00 She was embarrassed enough for one night. Why had she even agreed to come out, leaving alone? Wasn't unusual though. She'd let herself think that Ashley and Chelsea would just one sleep with her, but it hadn't happened tonight. She felt used and embarrassed for even asking them if they were okay before she caught out frustrated, she flung her weight against the back door of the bar, a little too hard, and it swung outward clinging against the outside wall. As she laughed the gravel crunched under her Dexters and the music and laughter faded. As she walked to her truck. Hey, blue jeans, she turned lifting a hand to block the glare from the parking lot. Love bites. It was the cowboy. He was waving his white Stetson. His hair was a light Brown, similar to rebels, buttery golden flanks. She really was pathetic comparing the guy to our horse. He came up to where she stood, then put his hat back on, positioning it just so his teeth were even in white and to smile was relaxed and friendly. Although the brim of his hat shaded his eyes, they willingly met her.
Speaker 4 00:31:11 Do your friends always make you do the driving?
Speaker 3 00:31:15 Um, yeah, since I don't really drink, it's safer that way.
Speaker 4 00:31:19 No, I know what you mean. I'm the designated driver tonight. I don't mind too much though.
Speaker 3 00:31:25 A quick smile. My name is Deb Slusher. She said remembering her manners.
Speaker 4 00:31:32 I'm sorry. I'm Kyle Buchanan.
Speaker 3 00:31:35 They shook hands before they dropped their grip. He turned to her Palm
Speaker 4 00:31:41 Just a minute. As
Speaker 3 00:31:42 Efficient as pocket, his eyes crinkled and a playful shy Brin appeared on his handsome face. Then he held her hand steadily and placed a stack of quarters at her Palm folding her fingers over the stack, his hands were large calloused and warm. He was close enough that she could smell his clothes lines, scented shirt. It was 10 times more enticing than any cologne. What's this for? She asked opening her Palm, exposing the short stack of quarters.
Speaker 4 00:32:13 Why it's for the pool game? You didn't get to play with me.
Speaker 3 00:32:17 She realized then that if he was observant enough to notice her being ignored by her friends, then perhaps the same thing had happened to him. The two guys, Ashley and Chelsea were with where the buddies he'd come in with, meaning that he was in a very similar situation. It's Cranston to be asking to play. She said, he's way better than me. Kyle laughed darlin. It's not that I don't respect that old cowboy, but I'm not trying to impress him a wide grid and spread across his town's face, Deb blushed a little, and he smiled even more. Maybe you want a dance. Instead he asked Deb smiled back and nodded. She slipped her keys into her purse as they walked to the door. Kyle held it open for her and she stepped back inside. Excellent. Annie, thank you for reading that nanny. You want me to, do you want to, um, talk a little bit about what inspired that
Speaker 2 00:33:26 That particular story was written for? Um, uh, my, um, my colleges, uh, literary magazine, which didn't last more than like two or three issues and, and it was a romance theme. And, uh, so that's where that came from. I, I wanted it to be about, um, college, you know, about younger people about that and required to kind of thing that goes on. Um, maybe feeling a little lost, a little lonely, um, you know, and just, uh, that's what I came out of. I, um, you know, I, I wanted it to, to end on a, on a positive tender note, uh, without being too much, um, too, you know, so that's, and I don't, I don't know where I got that stack of quarters idea from, that just came out of the blue. Um, I was like, what do I do? How do I fit? How do I finish this? And that's what came to my head. So,
Speaker 3 00:34:32 You know, I have to admit one of my favorites in there was the story kinder. Um, it is creepy, but yet it was, uh, can you talk a little bit about that story? I really wanted to know like what happened after the discovery, but go ahead and, um, talk a little bit about that.
Speaker 2 00:34:53 Well, um, that story is probably the most biographical story. Um, we, I did have an Airedale and his name was Charlie Brown and, uh, yeah. And, uh, a lot of the events in that story did transpire and, uh, the story was the hardest story to end, uh, into like, I, it was originally part of my novel that I'm writing now. And I took it out of the novel as a, uh, and made it a standalone story. Cause I think it deserved to be a standalone story. And then I would probably use it as some back matter for, you know, or some fill-in for the novel. It's not the stock going to be the same. So, um, you know, I really wanted, uh, I really wanted it to be, you know, to show, you know, what a family could be like, uh, you know, um, you know, in circumstances that maybe weren't really positive or perfect circumstances. Um, and so, you know, yeah,
Speaker 1 00:36:05 When you write stories like this and you stopped it at the point where the father knew, right. So do you actually envision, but you didn't talk about what came next. So do you envision what comes next or do you just leave it there?
Speaker 2 00:36:27 I think I'm going to leave it there. Uh, and I'm only going to, I think I'm going to do that. I feel okay with doing that because, uh, the novel, uh, kind of picks that up in a different direction. So that's a teaser, if you really want to know, what's going to go on, you gotta read the novel because a novel we'll take, we'll pick, we'll pick up the, the, the, the story of that family, of the Raymond family and, um, and expand upon it. So
Speaker 1 00:36:57 You tend to write quite a bit about blindness, obviously. Um, that's what, you know, as a disability topic, but do you write about other disabilities too?
Speaker 2 00:37:12 Oh, that's a good question. Um, well, uh, in the novel I'm writing now, there's a lot of mental illness, um, as one of the, uh, one of the threats, uh, the mother, um, uh, uh, um, lived with a mental illness and the, and one of the daughters. Um, so, so I, and that's, so that, uh, that's something that I know about, you know, in terms of my family history. So it's, you know, uh, but, uh, knowing, you know, I haven't in my non-fiction, I do write about other, other people with disabilities. Um, especially people who are serviced or users that may use a service dog, you know, um, as a deaf person or as a person who, um, who uses a wheelchair. So, but I haven't had a flow over to my fiction yet.
Speaker 1 00:38:06 Do you consult with them to kind of get a feel of like, is this so when you're writing?
Speaker 2 00:38:13 Yeah, yeah. I, I called up my friends and asked them really weird questions. Sometimes I'm like, I have this one friend and I asked him once, what is it like when you're like, you know, in your wheelchair? Um, and someone just starts pushing like, like, how do you handle that? You know? And I, and he said, well, no one ever asked me that
Speaker 3 00:38:43 That feels like almost more of a control loss than what people do to us. Yeah. No grabbing you and try to pull you as Alicia can smack them or something.
Speaker 2 00:38:53 Tell him said, watch out, my dog will bite you.
Speaker 3 00:38:57 Uh, why do you say that? I tell them I'll play with them. So I just figured the heck with the dog. Um, so I'm wondering, um, what do you do when you have a dry writer's block? How, um, and have you ever had one?
Speaker 2 00:39:18 Yes, I do have them and I don't, I don't, I think it's more of a frustration, uh, with, with my writing. It, it's not like a block. It's more like, okay, I'm S I'm, I'm kind of stuck. I don't know where I want to go. Um, maybe that that's not working for me. Um, and usually what I do is I just let it go for a day, a week, maybe a month, um, and then go back to it and I write past it. Um, I, I don't believe there's any writer's block. I think it's just the story or the words aren't ready to come yet. Not ready to manifest themselves if you know, within your mind so that you can, you can utilize them to write.
Speaker 3 00:40:09 Excellent. Um, I think I hope there was another piece that you guys prepped for Leanne and graded. This is, uh, from a temporary perspective. Ah, okay. Yeah. All right. So this is actually the perfect she'd come out of Josh's room that evening and began washing out his baby bottles before going to bed. I mean, Emilio entered the narrow kitchen and handed her an envelope. She dried her hands and took it, but what's this some money, some opened it and realized it was a few hundred dollars, a large amount of money. Now that she'd lost her job and they were living on only one income. She looked up at him, confusion on her wholesome face, Emilio. I don't understand I'm leaving. He said without emotion, like he might tell her it was four o'clock or there was ice cream in the freezer. It's all I can give you until we get a divorce.
Speaker 3 00:41:14 What do you mean? She asked her entire body going numb. I can't be with a woman. Who's handicapped. A kid is hard enough, but a blind wife Salone felt the blood drain from her face and she dropped the envelopes to study herself on the lip of the sink. Hey, it's not it's me. He said, I need someone who can keep up with me. You know, driving, working the bills, things like that. He didn't even attempt to pick up the drop to envelope. Instead he went to the fridge for a beer so long, his legs turned to rubber and she fought the impulse to simply slide down to the floor. Every word he said, felt like a cut to her skin. He went on, you're still young and pretty Sloan. You'll find someone you can handle being with a blind chick. He reached out to tap her on the chin. Usually an endearing gesture. When his fingers got close, she swept it away. Get out. She said, tears, brimming in her eyes, get out and don't ever come back, Emilio smiled. And she hated him. In that moment. He stopped to pick up the envelope and place it on the counter before turning away, have a good life Sloan. He said, I'll send you some money for the kid. He picked up his duffel bag and left.
Speaker 3 00:42:43 Thank you. Um, thank you. This, uh, this story has, is, is, uh, gets better as, as harsh as it sounds. Now. I want to, I mean, this is not an uncommon perspective or an uncommon situation with people with disabilities. Um, in fact, it's interesting because although I do not have a, like, I've never done it, a total tally. They don't know the studies, but I knew know that, um, people who get disability after marriage are likely to end up in divorce. Um, more so if the female gets the disability than the male, and it's interesting because I actually saw it. And in my teaching, I teach, you know, technology for people with disabilities. And I, I can tell you this much more likely that the female stays. If the male gets the disability, then the other way around, although it's not always, it's just more likely. Um, but I wonder if you have any comment in regards to this story, Annie?
Speaker 2 00:43:57 Sure. Uh, just, uh, Sam going back to the, um, the, you know, the, I guess the, uh, the, um, stuff about the divorce and everything. I was a marriage counselor for veterans for years and, um, you know, the wives seemed to stay with the husbands. Um, but a lot of times, if it was the wife that had, um, residual issues from their service like PTSD, or if they, um, a lot of times that, you know, I, at least that was my impression that the men gave up way before the women, but not always, not always.
Speaker 1 00:44:32 And my feeling is that women tend to be care givers and, or caretakers, whatever you want to call it. And, um, so they do tend to stay more as like this isn't set in stone by any means, but it's just in my teaching, at least I I've seen more of that. Um, so, uh, thank you too for reading. I really appreciate that. Thank you.
Speaker 2 00:45:00 That's a really, I thought that one, that was very difficult. Just the emotion of it. And the, like you said, the perspective itself is it's rough. I mean, like when you're reading it, you're going, Ooh, that's rough, man.
Speaker 1 00:45:14 Well, and there's so many things in that story where it depends on who's looking at it that you're seeing what's actually happening. And again, I don't want to give away the twist of the story, but it was a, it was very well done. Annie, thank you. So Annie, you want to talk a little bit about what you have in the works?
Speaker 2 00:45:35 Oh, uh, okay. So, um, I actually, I, I have a novel that I've been writing for the last two and a half years. Um, and, uh, it's a coming of age novel. Um, and, uh, if, if, when, if you read the short story, Kender, you'll kind of get to know the family or what might be the, um, the, you know, the backbone structure of the family, or did some of the characters that might be in that. Um, so it's, uh, it's, it's in, it's in revisions, um, probably another couple of months. Uh, so, and then it'll go to the editors and it may come out by the end of this year. It may not I'm way behind.
Speaker 1 00:46:23 I have a title.
Speaker 2 00:46:27 Okay. I don't want to, Jake said, but, uh, uh, yeah. Um, no, I'm not ready to give the title. Yes. Uh, yeah. Uh, so, uh, and it takes place in the 1970s to 1980s timeframe. So there, there that, that in itself was another challenge was to give enough historical information about the society at the time, what people were wearing, what we did, you know, socially, what kind of cars, you know, when you do a novel that takes people back into the past, uh, in any historical sense, it's time, it's hard. You have to do a lot of fact checking and, uh, you know, a lot of, uh, you know, a lot of background work, um, you know, so like, well, what will people do if they didn't have cell phone? Like, you know, yeah. The kitchen phone on the wall with the cord that you bring around a rotary phone, like, what is that? Um, yeah. So, uh, but I'm having fun with it and, uh, you know, I'm hoping, um, I'm hoping that by the end of the year it'll be out. So, so do you find that your writing style in itself, obviously writing a person's style probably changes somewhat as they go along, but do you find that it was a big change of how you wrote when you could see comparatively as, when you can't?
Speaker 2 00:48:03 I don't know if I could answer that because when I could see I was using my creativity in the visual arts and, uh, that's how I got my that's, how I was satisfied, you know, with my creativity was, you know, I was sketching. I was, you know, um, I was doing, uh, woodworking and, you know, all kinds of stuff like that. Um, so I don't think there's much of a comparison, you know, except for that. I think I do much more creating now. And, um, and I think all of that led up to, you know, having, um, good discipline about it. Um, and, and I think that's, you know, that's how I developed as a creative person. Um, you know, just wanting to keep doing it and overcoming whatever I needed to in order to keep it in my life. Do you feel like how you describe things has changed?
Speaker 2 00:49:11 I think so. Yeah. Uh, I know some, I know there's a lot more than I need checking out now. Um, I mean, I've been functionally visually impaired for about 15 years, and though my memory is great. I'm also getting up there in some years, so there's going to be that I've forgotten some things. Um, and I, you know, and I do, I need to go back and say, okay, well, what is this? Like, what was, you know, I'll have some, you know, my family members helped me out or I'll call a friend or, um, yeah. So, yeah, we're going to take one last short station break and we'll be right back
Speaker 0 00:49:53 On KFH is supported by South side pride, monthly newspaper, locally owned and operated South side pride support the racial and cultural diversity of the many neighborhoods that make of South Minneapolis. More information is
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Speaker 2 00:50:18 And this is cafe 90.3, FM Minneapolis, Kathy i.org. And this is disability and progress. My name is Sam we're speaking with Andrea Petta as an author
Speaker 1 00:50:28 Of many books, her latest called a string of stories. We also have Leanne Rowe and Graydon Schlitt cure slighter, sorry. Sorry. I did it right before. I don't know what I was doing. All right. All right. Well, um, I just want to say thank you to everyone. I think you guys did a great job and thank you, Annie again for coming on the show. Uh, does anybody have any last minute comments? Just that it was a pleasure to be here. Thank you so much. It was absolutely an honor. Thank you. And it was also an honor to be hired, to work with Annie. It was just fantastic. She, did you get a chance to check out a string of stories while the roller coaster ride that's for sure. Annie, how could people get your books? Um, do, you can go to <inaudible> dot com. You can look me up on audible or Amazon, and, you know, my author pages will come up with my books and I want to thank Leanna and Graydon for coming and just being a great sport about everything and doing live readings. I don't know if I'd be brave enough to do that. So it's all good.
Speaker 1 00:51:49 Well, thank you very much, and I appreciate it. And good luck, uh, with this book and I will actually look forward to reading your next one. Alrighty. This has been
Speaker 0 00:52:02 Ability and progress. The views expressed on the show are not necessarily those of camp yet, or its board of directors. My name is Sam. I'm the host of the show. Charlene doll is my research team and Annie Harvey is my engineer. Thank you, Annie. This is Kathy I 90.3, FM Minneapolis, and kfa.org. If you want to be on my email list, you can email us to talk about future shows or what's coming up or get an email or each week of the people that are going to be on. You can email me at disability and progress at Sam, jasmine.com. Otherwise, thank you so much for listening and also please check out our podcasts. We are now podcasting and, uh, have many shows up there and this one will be up there as well soon. Thank you so much the night.
