Each episode of Travel Time Stories invites you into meaningful conversations

📼 What do you get when you combine two high school losers, dinosaur-evolved aliens, an ancient VHS tape, a Mexican cartel—and an author with enough caffeine to launch a small moon? Apparently, you get Geoffrey Breedwell. And quite possibly one of the most delightfully chaotic Author Spotlight conversations yet. 😂 In this episode of Travel Time Stories: The Author Spotlight Series, Shannon and Ann sit down with US Navy veteran, AuDHD author, comic book nerd and unapologetically weird storyt...

What happens when the life you built with someone you love suddenly changes forever? In this deeply moving episode of Travel Time Stories, Shannon and Ann sit down with Derrik Dyka, author of Good Grief Travel, to discuss grief, healing, loneliness, reinvention, and the unexpected ways travel helped him rebuild life after losing his wife of 24 years. Through journeys across Thailand, China, and beyond, Derrik discovered that healing often happens in the quietest moments—through conversations ...

What makes magic believable? What makes a villain unforgettable? And what happens when the characters—not the genre—are what truly pull you into a story? In this episode of the Travel Time Stories Author Spotlight Series, I sit down with C.A. House, author of Archblade: Legend of the Defiler, for a conversation that takes us deep inside the mind of a fantasy storyteller. We talk about C.A.’s almost scientific approach to building magic, the difference between morally complex villains and pure...

What happens when desire fades… but the relationship is still there? In this honest and deeply needed conversation, Shannon and Ann sit down with Dr. Lori Davis, a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Certified Sex Counselor, to talk about something so many people experience—but few feel comfortable discussing. From mismatched desire to emotional disconnection to the very real impact of menopause on intimacy, this episode creates space for a conversation that is often avoided—but inc...

What happens when intuition, spirituality, the unexplained, and storytelling collide? In this episode of Travel Time Stories: The Author Spotlight Series, I sit down with Wendy M. Kok, author of A Grey Resort, to go behind the pages and discover the woman—and the experiences—behind the story. Wendy and I talk about her writing journey, the world and characters she created in A Grey Resort, and her belief that intuition can be a gift from God. We explore trusting that inner knowing, how person...

He's back—and the conversation goes even deeper. In his first appearance on Travel Time Stories, Dr. Stephen Paul Edwards challenged the way we think about love, toxic relationships, vulnerability, and emotional healing. Now he's back to discuss his newest novel, The Venus Fly Trap 2: Enough Is Never Enough. But this isn't a traditional author interview. It's three friends around the table talking honestly about relationships, boundaries, heartbreak, self-worth, and the mome...

What if civilization didn't collapse because of war, zombies, or nuclear disaster? What if it collapsed because people simply stopped growing old? In this fascinating episode of Travel Time Stories, Shannon and Ann sit down with author T.A. Thompson to discuss his dystopian thriller The Mark—a story that explores survival, morality, motherhood, and the frightening consequences of a world where no one expects to live long enough to think about tomorrow. Together they explore: 📖 The inspi...

In a world where travel is as easy as a click, Vern Flaig takes us on a breathtaking journey that transcends borders and expectations. Ever dreamed of setting off on a grand adventure? Join Vern as he shares the incredible story behind his memoir, *Maple to Mandalay*, which chronicles his four-year odyssey across Australia and beyond, sparked by a heartbreak and an insatiable curiosity. This episode is a must-listen for adventurers, memoir enthusiasts, and anyone craving inspiration to chase ...

Today we're sitting down with author Sapna Srinivasan to go behind the pages—and this conversation takes us from Mira's fictional journey into Sapna's own. What happens when the life you've been taught you're supposed to want suddenly falls apart? In A New Mantra, Mira Sood finds herself starting over after discovering her husband's affair and the end of their arranged marriage. But rebuilding her life means confronting something even bigger: Who is she when she stops living according to ever...

At 72 years old, Rand Timmerman set out to hike the entire 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail with his younger brother, Ron. But they weren't simply climbing mountains. Both brothers were Vietnam combat veterans carrying experiences from the war that had followed them for decades. Rand was also walking a path of recovery from alcoholism, while Ron was grieving the loss of his wife. What began as an extraordinary physical challenge became something much deeper—a journey through grief, addiction r...

In this episode of Travel Time Stories: The Author Spotlight Series, we sit down with historical crime fiction author H.B. Berlow to go behind the pages of The Time of Judgment—a story that asks some uncomfortable questions about justice, morality, revenge and the past we carry with us. At the center of the novel is Harold Bergman, a Jewish private investigator and World War II veteran searching for a Nazi war criminal in Kansas in the aftermath of the Nuremberg trials. But finding him may...

Can love truly survive death? And what happens when the person who helps you find yourself again has been dead for 247 years? In this episode of Travel Time Stories: The Author Spotlight Series, Shannon and Ann welcome author Sarah Branson to go behind the pages of her deeply moving novel, Life Ends, Love Remains. At the heart of the story is Clara Donovan, a woman trying to rebuild her life after the collapse of her marriage and writing career. Seeking a fresh start, Clara retreats to her la...

Today, Deana and Lizzie host the award-winning podcast Surviving Toxic Relationships with the Matadoras, where they use what they've experienced to educate, support, and empower others. Deana and Lizzie have an extraordinary story. They were married to the same man at different times. In Part 1 of this powerful two-part conversation, Deana and Lizzie join Shannon and Ann to talk about their extraordinary story and what they've learned about toxic relationships, manipulation, emotional a...

Deana and Lizzie, hosts of the award-winning podcast Surviving Toxic Relationships with the Matadoras, return for Part 2 of our powerful conversation about toxic relationships, emotional and financial abuse, healing, and starting over. In Part 1, they shared their extraordinary story of discovering they had been married to the same man at different times—and how that shared experience ultimately turned them from strangers into best friends with a mission to help others. Now we're talking a...

In this episode of Travel Time Stories: The Author Spotlight Series, Shannon and Ann welcome fantasy author Ira White to go behind the pages of his novel, The Children of Raven's Reach. At the center of the story is a young man whose family has been murdered. Determined to learn magic, he discovers he possesses a natural ability that attracts the attention of powerful people eager to use his talents. But his journey becomes something much bigger when he encounters a house filled with explo...

In this episode of Travel Time Stories: The Author Spotlight Series, Shannon and Ann welcome Jordin Lea Andrews-Jones, writing under the pen name J.L. Andrews-Jones, to explore her deeply personal book, Letting Go. Through reflections on anger, happiness, isolation, resentment, grief, and acceptance, Letting Go explores the complicated emotions we experience when life changes in ways we never expected. But this isn't a book offering a perfect formula for healing. It's an exploration of wha...

What if success isn't making you happy? In this powerful episode of Travel Time Stories, Shannon and Ann sit down with Dr. Carla Caturia, Elite Mindset Coach and founder of The House of Rise, to discuss burnout, perfectionism, identity, emotional resilience, and the hidden cost of achievement. After experiencing her own major life reset in her 40s, Dr. Carla developed the RISE Method to help high-achieving individuals break free from what she calls the Success Without Self Cycle—the pattern o...

In this episode of Travel Time Stories: The Author Spotlight Series, Ann welcomes author Oliver Mann to explore his book, Shadow Journaling, and the hidden parts of ourselves that may be keeping us stuck. We've all heard that self-awareness is the key to personal growth. But Oliver challenges that idea with a powerful message: “More self-awareness won't get you unstuck. Self-acceptance is the precursor to change.” Drawing inspiration from the work of Carl Jung and other influential thinker...

In this episode of The Author Spotlight Series, Shannon welcomes NaKeesa Marie, author, entrepreneur, and Self-Care Strategist, to discuss her book, 100 Days of Gentle Accountability for Black Women. They talk about the importance of Self Care for Black Women and how it needs to be made a priority in their lives. For generations, Black women have often been expected to carry enormous responsibilities—caring for their families, supporting their communities, succeeding professionally, and remai...

For anyone trying to move past fear and trust themselves again, Kelly Keefe shares how to reclaim confidence and live in alignment. In this episode of Travel Time Stories, Shannon and Ann welcome Kelly Keefe, author, speaker, Reiki Master Teacher, and transformational coach, for a conversation about overcoming fear, reclaiming confidence, spiritual awakening, and discovering what it means to live authentically. For more than a decade, Kelly has helped individuals navigate personal transfor...

Before Houston became a world-renowned medical center, there was another chapter of its healthcare history—one that deserves to be remembered. What was Houston Negro Hospital? Who were the people behind it? And why has this important part of Houston's history received so little attention? In this episode of The Author Spotlight Series, Shannon and Ann welcome Carlton Houston, author of The Houston Negro Hospital (The Untold Legacy of Riverside General), for a fascinating conversation about th...