Dedicated with Doug Brunt

Erik Larson: Manhattan (2 1/2 ounces Michter’s rye, 1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth, dash bitters, cherry, served up)Erik names the person he’s written about that he’d most like to be able to meet, talks about what he looks for in a subject for a new book, the stories behind finding the titles to his books so far, the conversations he had with his agent in the 1990s that helped him to find the path to writing his first ever historical narrative nonfiction, the secrets to what he does once inside the archives, the journalistic approach to non-judgment of the people in his books, and gives a clue to the subject for his next book.

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss: EspressoLiz Truss discusses her preference for the emergence of independent journalism and death of traditional media in America as opposed to Britain where the BBC is still dominant, names her favorite few states in America, names the two places in Britain that every American should visit, talks about the stress of the weekly ‘Questions to the Prime Minister’, credits JK Rowling for courage under woke fire, recounts her strangest moment in politics.

Admiral James Stavridis: Negroni (1 ounce gin, 1 ounce sweet vermouth, 1 ounce Campari, garnish with orange peel)Admiral Stavridis names the two most terrifying moments of his military career, describes how naval warfare will look in fifty years (or less), the classified military report meant to predict the future that was most off, the Russel Crowe movie that best captures life at sea, how his speculative (not predictive) work of fiction, 2054, describes a looming technological threat to humanity, and names one of the best political books ever written (which is not, on its face, a political book at all).

Andrew Duplessie: Dark N’ Stormy (2 1/2 ounces Goslings rum with ginger beer over ice, 2 lime wedges)One of the most popular authors in the world on BookTok, Andrew discusses the ins-and-outs of publishing fiction in new media, as well as contrasts the experience with his debut TOO SCARED TO SLEEP, published by (traditional media) Harper Collins, how he used Flowcode’s QR codes on the pages of his hardcover book so that he could include short films/videos as companions to the stories in the printed book, the future convergence of AI, Virtual Reality and book publishing and what possible user experiences could be, how he toggles between writing grisly horror fiction to then joining his wife for dinner, and the authors who inspired his writing career.

Keith O’Brien: Old Fashioned (cube of sugar, dash water, dash bitters, 2 1/2 ounces Knobel whiskey, garnish with cherry and orange peel)Author of the new biography of Pete Rose, CHARLIE HUSTLE, discusses the Ohtani baseball gambling scandal, why the partnerships between professional sports leagues and gambling services are fraught, how the characteristics and that made Pete Rose a great baseball player have made him a failed person, whether the Hall of Fame can treat the personal lives of players separately from their art as players on the field, compares and contrasts the way Pete Rose and Lance Armstrong behaved once caught in lies, and who is the greatest sports announcer of all time. You can watch all of our video episodes on YouTube as well: https://www.youtube.com/@DedicatedwithDoug 

James Ellroy: coffeeJames offers an alternative introduction for the show that makes for an interesting contrast, reveals a sexual dalliance between his father and Rita Hayworth, gives honest feedback about the film LA CONFIDENTIAL, discusses his writing process and why he thinks ‘closure is BS’.

Zibby Owens: Aperol Spritz (3 ounces Aperol, 3 ounces prosecco, 1 ounce club soda, garnish with orange slice)Zibby gives the origin story of her hit podcast MOMS DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ BOOKS, the mission of her publishing imprint that has already published more than a dozen books (several bestsellers!), the sneaky "writer's retreat" where she wrote much of her novel BLANK, her writing process, and her approach to new media for the book world.

Edoardo Ballerini: vodka martini, three olivesAward-winning audiobook narrator and actor Edoardo discusses how he went from studying Latin at the Vatican to joining an acting troupe then making his NYC acting debut on LAW & ORDER, identifies which areas of the arts are most immediately under threat from artificial intelligence, tells how the audiobook business has evolved since his first narration in 2007, and how the nuance of reading characters of a different age/race/gender has changed in recent years, explains the goals of the university course on audiobook narration that he teaches, reveals his favorite place in Italy, and tells why we should not go faster than 1x.

Richard Haass: dry martini (3 ounces gin, a few drops of dry vermouth, served up with 3 olives)Richard reveals for the first time a confidential memo regarding the war in Iraq that he hand-delivered to Secretary Powell, why he feels America is in a "uniquely dangerous" time in the world, the TV show that most accurately portrays the Situation Room, how he prepares himself for writing memos, books or briefing presidents, why his book THE WORLD: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION is an important read for all citizens.

Mike Rowe: Manhattan (2 1/2 ounces Knobel whiskey, 1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth, bitters, Luxardo cherry)Author (and host) of THE WAY I HEARD IT Mike talks about being fired three times from QVC and hired twice to host The Daily Show for Comedy Central, his thoughts on Jon Stewart and the origins of fake news, his struggles with a childhood stammer and how a music teacher helped him overcome, how podcasting has evolved in the last few years, his terrific book that combines shocking historical events with Mike’s unique perspective, the #1 dirtiest job, and some thoughts on the key ingredients for a good life.

Kashmir Hill: gin & tonicNew York Times technology reporter Kashmir Hills explains the incredible and horrifying implications of AI and facial recognition, the pair of eyeglasses developed by Meta that can instantly tell you EVERYTHING about a person just by glancing at them, what Oppenheimer and Heather Douglas meant by “technical sweetness”, how we might live in a new world of technology that allows people “no fresh starts”, and what she misses most from the 1980s that she would like to have back.

Dani Shapiro: Mezcal Negroni (1 ounce mezcal, 1 ounce sweet vermouth, 1 ounce Campari, garnish with orange slice)Award-winning author Dani Shapiro discusses how the effort of her first books refined her future work and process so that in addition to focusing on the music of her writing she’s also focused on the meaning, explains that she had to slow down the rush of storytelling in her gripping memoir INHERITANCE because she was living the tale as she was writing it, tells of the happy ‘accidents’ of co-founding a writers’ conference in Positano, Italy and of launching her hit podcast FAMILY SECRETS, and how when writing a book that jumps time that it can be useful to work on the book for as long as the jumps.

Howard Blum: Diet CokeAward-winning author and journalist Howard Blum discusses the latest on the Idaho murders where he has been leading the coverage, describes how he conducts different types of research for book subjects ranging from prior centuries to other books covering present day topics, his writing pieces with Graydon Carter’s media company Air Mail, compares national intelligence agencies, and reveals the one book he read in his youth that inspired his writing career.

Brad Meltzer: tequilaBrad reveals what it takes to make him wear his underpants on the outside, the wildest forms of terror attack that he brainstormed with the CIA and FBI while a member of the Red Cell Unit, some hilarious insider stories of Barbara Bush, what’s underneath the White House, how he started his “I Am…” book series for kids, and how he first fell in love with the writing process.

Alex Aster: espresso martini (2 ounces vodka, 1/2 ounce Kahlua, 1 ounce espresso, garnish with 3 coffee beans, serve up)Alex discusses the oral tradition of storytelling in her family and her Colombian heritage, her dogged efforts to land a literary agent when she was 12-years old, how she skipped her college graduation day to land an agent and a book deal, how she leverages TikTok and other platform to reach millions of readers, and gives an update on her work with Universal and the movie version of Lightlark.

Adam Plantinga: Coffee, blackAward-winning author and San Francisco cop Adam Plantinga talks about the differences between vacation problems (getting sunscreen on his daughters) and work problems (getting charged by a criminal wielding a butcher knife), the favorite and most influential books he’s read, how humor can be an important tool on the job (both jobs), his debut novel The Ascent, and one thing he wants the public to know about law enforcement.

Lightening Round: Some of the most thought provoking and entertaining responses to the Lightening Round questions from our Season 1 guests.Then Doug plays - free to listeners - the complete Prologue of THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF RUDOLF DIESEL, narrated by Scott Brick, courtesy of Simon & Schuster Audio. 

Gad Saad: Bailey's on the rocksProfessor Saad discusses the nuanced differences between fellow Canadian Jordan Peterson and himself, how he manages to remain a Happy Warrior in the face of toxicity and a workplace that has been compared to Gaza, how he teaches the art of storytelling even in the presentation of scientific material, the mental conditions that contribute to whether a person is open minded and persuadable or stuck, and names the 122 sq miles on earth (an island country) that is the most conducive to human happiness.

Gareth Russell: gin & Dubonnet (1 ounce gin, 2 ounces Dubinet, lemon wheel, topped with one over-sized ice cube)Gareth discusses the questionable claims in Omid Scobie's work regarding Harry, Meghan and the Royal Family, discusses a defense of the existence of the monarchy as posed by C.S. Lewis and others, reveals aspects of the monumental research effort involved in writing his phenomenal book covering 500 years of history at Hampton Court that is full of captivating anecdotes, shares several insider stories that illuminate the charm and wit of the former Queen Mother, and shares his opinion of the least and most pleasant ways to be executed. 

Doug's Holiday Book Picks: Egg Nog (fill a rocks glass with ice, add 2 ounces bourbon, fill with egg nog (the full-fat kind), stir then top with nutmeg)Doug picks 4 excellent books for December, then plays - free to listeners - the complete Prologue of THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF RUDOLF DIESEL, narrated by Scott Brick, courtesy of Simon & Schuster Audio.