Billy, Old Dan, and Little Ann—a boy and his two dogs... A loving threesome, they ranged the dark hills and river bottoms of Cherokee County. Old Dan had the brawn, Little Ann had the brains—and Billy had the will to train them to be the finest hunting team in the valley. Glory and victory were coming to them, but sadness waited too. And close by was the strange and wonderful power that's only found... Where the Red Fern Grows —An exciting tale of love and adventure you'll never forget...

... Well, that was certainly true for our guests, for whom the book has ranked among the most traumatizing. On today's episode, TEN authors unleash their shared trauma at being forced to read Where the Red Fern Grows in school.

Featuring, from Engen Books:
Brad Dunne, author of The Merchant's Mansion
Paul Carberry, author of Carcharodon
Lauralana Dunne, author of Ashes
Tanith Frost, author of Terror Nova: Writers Retreat

From Breakwater Books Ltd.:
Morgan Murray, author of Dirty Birds
Ainsley Hawthorn, Land of Many Shores

From Marvel Comics:
Jed MacKay, author of The Death of Doctor Strange, Avengers, X-Men, Blood Hunt, Moon Knight, Black Cat, and more!

From Independently-owned studios:
Tasha Madison, author of Fabric of a Generation
Colleen Helme, author of The Shelby Nichols Series
AF Stewart, author of Ghosts of the Sea Moon

Originally broadcast on September 1, 2025 on CHMR 93.5 FM in St. John's, and on other great stations across the country. 

Check out As Loved Our Fathers, the latest book from Write Project host Matthew LeDrew: https://amzn.to/3HB7BAB

It's a hunt for the Holy Grail taken on by an American Anthropologist and a Newfoundland History professor that unveils hidden secrets within Newfoundland history!

Support the show

Produced and recorded at CHMR 93.5 FM in St. John's, Newfoundland. Listen on CHMR online at http://www.chmr.ca/​

This program is sponsored by:
Engen Books: Checkout Engen titles at http://www.engenbooks.com/​

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This recording copyright © 2024 Matthew LeDrew