PODCAST BONUS EPISODES OUT!

Jon Cryer, Lisa Joyner, and Suzanne Rico with Gracie Award

Happy Friday. I just finished Bonus Episode 4, called The Soul of the Story, which will post next week and is a conversation about The Man Who Calculated Death with my best friend and the podcast's executive producer, Lisa Joyner (shown above as we mug for the camera with our national Gracie Award!). One of the things I love about this smart, savvy human is that she never rarely has a conventional take, but looks at things from different, and always surprising perspectives. In our discussion, she gets to the heart of my family story by focusing on the women behind the man who calculated death: because without them, there is no story. In the end, no matter how much focus is on World War II, flying bombs, Hitler's goon squad, and me trying to figure out my grandfather's mindset, this podcast is a female driven tale: me and my sister Stephanie on the road together; my sister Simone reading the memoir and playing the classical piano music; my grandmother's depression and early death; my wonderful, straight shooting Tantes; and of course, my mother, Gabriele. An author, teacher, speaker, wife, and mother, it is she who is the engine behind all of it, and you'll hear much more about her in the Soul Of The Story. Hope you enjoy it, and if you missed the first three bonus episodes, you can find them at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

Gabriele Rico shortly before her death (still smiling)