Living The Next Chapter: Candid Conversations with Authors and Writers for Readers Searching for a New Read

EPISODE 731 - Lance Hillsinger - Child Welfare Social Worker to Author - Navigating Legal Documents to Authorship In this thoughtful episode, author and retired social worker Lance Hilzinger joins us from San Luis Obispo, California, to reflect on a lifetime of service in the child welfare system and his journey into writing. With three decades of experience advocating for children and families in Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo Counties, Lance offers a candid look behind the courtroom doors...

EPISODE 729 - Melania Murphy - Bound by Love, Not Tradition - Empowering Women Through Married Name Choices In this episode, Melania Murphy joins the show to explore how married name choices can be a powerful act of identity, equality, and intention in modern relationships. Based in Bradenton, Florida, Melania shares how her own family background—growing up in a household with multiple last names—helped spark her curiosity about why women so often drop their names when they marry. With a bac...

EPISODE 727 - Rita Lussier - And Now, Back to Me - When You Dread The Truth of The Empty Nest An award-winning journalist and writer whose column “For the Moment” was a popular feature of The Providence Journal for a dozen years. Her writing has also been featured on National Public Radio, in The Boston Globe, The New York Daily News, and many more. Rita enjoys coaching writers, conducting workshops and has worked as a publicist and editor. She has taught at both the University of Rhode Isla...

EPISODE 725 - Veronica Iniguez - Captain and Me at Sea! Sometimes, the greatest mysteries are hidden in plain sight About the author Veronica Iniguez is a debut author, born in the vibrant heart of Mexico and now embracing the desert magic of Arizona. She is a proud mother of six wonderful children. As an educator, she is passionate about inspiring young minds through learning and discovery. When she’s not homeschooling her little ones, she’s helping other children learn to read and develop ...

EPISODE 723 - Terri Lewis - From Ballet to Authorship - Words That Dance, That Fly In this author conversation, Terri Lewis shares how dance, history, and family have been woven through every stage of her life and writing. Now speaking from Florida while her Colorado garden sleeps under snow, she reflects on the two passions she held in high school: ballet and writing. Knowing a dance career had a limited window, she chose ballet first, becoming a professional dancer and choreographer, then ...

EPISODE 721 - Janet Kintner - A Judge's Tale - A Trailblazer Fights For Her Place on the Bench In this episode of Living the Next Chapter, host Dave sits down with Janet Kintner, a retired judge, attorney, and newly published author whose journey from the courtroom to the writer’s desk reveals a life committed to justice, courage, and reflection. Speaking from her homes in San Diego and Victoria, Canada, Janet offers a look into her groundbreaking career as one of the youngest female judges ...

EPISODE 715 - Babs Walters - Facing The Jaguar - Telling is Healing In this moving episode, author Babs Walters discusses her memoir Facing the Jaguar, a deeply personal story of trauma, healing, and transformation. Speaking from her home in sunny Florida, she reflects on the lifelong promise she made to write her story and how the process of sharing it became both a journey of self-discovery and a tool for helping others confront their own pain. Babs traces the origins of her memoir back t...