The ALL NEW Big Wakeup Call with Ryan Gatenby

On this episode, we re-visit my chats with best-selling superstar author Rick Riordan! Rick Riordan, dubbed “storyteller of the gods” by Publishers Weekly, is the author of five #1 New York Times best-selling middle grade series with millions of copies sold throughout the world: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, and the Trials of Apollo, based on Greek and Roman mythology; the Kane Chronicles, based on Ancient Egyptian mythology; and Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, based on Norse mythology. Rick collaborated with illustrator John Rocco on two #1 New York Times best-selling collections of Greek myths for the whole family: Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods and Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes. Rick is also the publisher of an imprint at Disney-Hyperion, Rick Riordan Presents, dedicated to finding other authors of highly entertaining fiction based on world cultures and mythologies. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife and two sons. From October 2021: Rick called in for a chat about Daughters of the Deep.From October 2020: Rick and I discussed his book The Trials of Apollo.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

We once again open the nearly filled to capacity Big Wakeup Call Vault and go back to 2020 for a fun conversation with radio legend Cousin Brucie. Brucie introduced the Beatles and others to America as a DJ on WABC in New York City.  Brucie was promoting his new radio show, back at WABC for "Saturday Night Rock & Roll Party ."

On this episode, we open the vaults and revisit my 2019 chat with the legendary William Shatner, who was promoting a local screening of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” on the big screen, followed by a live conversation with the one and only “Captain James T. Kirk.” 

On this episode, Gaby Dalkin, NY Times Bestselling Cookbook Author, Chef & Creator of  "What’s Gaby Cooking" joined the show to discuss summer grilling.  Gaby was also joined by Josh Archibald from Tillamook, who shared some ideas on cheese pairing and more.Then I'm joined by Paco Lomeli, firefighter and paramedic for Station 16 in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles.  Paco and the station crew are featured on "LA Fire and Rescue," airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock.This episode of The Big Wakeup Call is supported by YES Cacao, chocolate powered by botanicals. YES is organic, raw, wild-harvested cacao blended with function-specific formulas including "Brain Power," "Endurance," and "Bliss Out." YES is dark, wild harvested cacao.  Shop now at https://www.yescacao.comBuzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

On this episode, I visit with Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer Lee Loughnane, trumpeter and original member of Chicago. The band will be performing live on "A Capitol Fourth," broadcast on PBS at 8:00 Eastern/7:00 Central on July 4th. Brian "Uncle John" Boone has been a contributor to the "Bathroom Reader" series for more than two decades. We chatted about the newest book in the series, "Strange USA."And Jean Chatzky, award-winning journalist and host of the "Everyday Wealth" podcast, called in to discuss the financial challenges facing historically under-represented groups.

Actor Daniel Kyri from NBC's "Chicago Fire" joined us to discuss the show (streaming on Peacock), his character, filming and living in Chicago, and his appearance at an event at the Paley Center in NYC where his bunker gear will be on display.

Daniel José Older is the award-winning, New York Times best-selling author of works of urban and historical fantasy for adults, young adults, and middle grade readers. In addition to the Outlaw Saints duology, his series include Bone Street Rumba, Dactyl Hill Squad, and The Shadowshaper Cypher, launching with Shadowshaper, which won the International Latino Book Award and was named one of Esquire’s 80 Books Every Person Should Read. He has also written two standalone novels (The Book of Lost Saints and Flood City), three Star Wars novels, and numerous short stories. He became an author after a decades-long career as a New York City paramedic and is also an accomplished musician.   Daniel called in to discuss his new book, Last Canto of the Dead.Shannon Duncan is an entrepreneur and author. He also penned: “Present Moment Awareness”. Duncan lives in California finding his way to an authentic expression of himself, including and especially his sense of humor, has been the most rewarding aspect of healing from trauma.  Shannon joined the show for a discussion of his new book, Coming Full Circle: Using Psychedelics to Heal Trauma.

We are back for a BRAND NEW SEASON!  On this episode, I visit with author, illustrator, screenwriter and filmmaker Brian Selznick as we discussed his new book Big Tree, one of the most anticipated books of the year!My second guest, Gabrielle Bourne, is an actress, writer and DIY expert!  We discussed her role in the new film Air, and Gabrielle shared some home renovation tips.Thank you for all of your support so we can bring another season of great guests!Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

I've been fortunate to interview many of my favorite comedians on the show over the years, and on this Flashback Friday episode, we open The Big Wakeup Call vault for a series of fun and/or entertaining chats!From October 26, 2012: Judah Friedlander called in talk about the latest season of "30 Rock" and a Hot Pockets video he allegedly directed.From October 7, 2015: Paul F. Tompkins joined the show to chat about his stand-up special "Driving and Crying."From May 17, 2019, Pete Holmes dialed us up to talk about his book "Comedy Sex God."This episode is brought to you by Second Show Friday.

In this episode, we chat with two best-selling children's book authors!Lily LaMotte, brilliant author of the graphic novel Measuring Up, an ALA Top Ten, has written her debut picture book about a special Lunar New Year feast, perfect for fans of Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin and I Am Golden by Eva Chen.  CHLOE’S LUNAR NEW YEAR is a tender, warm, and uplifting holiday story about tradition and the importance of being with those you love. There are educational facts about the Lunar New Year celebration in Taiwan and a fun recipe for a delicious fortune cake!Karen Edwards has worked for over 20 years in educational publishing. She started her career as a writer and editor of Prekindergarten through Grade 6 textbooks. She then branched out into creating print and digital resources for children, parents, and educators. Karen joined Workman Publishing in 2018 as senior editor to work on the cornerstone brands Brain Quest and Big Fat Notebook and to develop educational titles that support and excite students on theirs journey through school.  Karen discussed the first board books of the Brain Quest series.

Holly Geyer, M.D., author of Ending the Crisis, is an Addiction Medicine Specialist at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. Her work is directed toward helping people with complex illnesses who are in the hospital, with special attention to addiction screening, evaluation and treatment for patients and families with concerns about substance use disorder. A key part of her work focuses on quality of life and the best use of nondrug interventions for diseases such as cancer. In addition to her clinical activities, Dr. Geyer is active in research, patient advocacy and healthcare policy at an enterprise and state level. She is well published in high-impact scientific journals and book chapters and maintains an active international lecture schedule. She additionally serves as a Physician Director of the Mayo Clinic Physician Assistant Fellowship program.Cassandra Clare is the author of the #1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly bestselling Shadowhunter Chronicles. She is also the coauthor of the bestselling fantasy series Magisterium with Holly Black. The Shadowhunter Chronicles have been adapted as both a major motion picture and a television series. Her books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide and have been translated into more than thirty-five languages. Cassandra lives in western Massachusetts with her husband and three fearsome cats.  Cassandra talked about the final book in her Last Hours trilogy, Chain of Thorns.

We open The Big Wakeup Call Vault(tm) and turn back the clock to 2019  to feature interviews from three legendary British singer/songwriters from the 80s new wave!From August 8, 2019: Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze joined the show on August 8, 2019 to talk about "The Squeeze Songbook 2019" tour.From October 21, 2019: Mick Hucknall called in for a chat about Simply Red's then-new album "Blue Eyed Soul."From June 11, 2019: Howard Jones visited to promote his then-new album "Transform."

Comedy Bang Bang!'s Scott Aukerman holds the title of the favoritest of our all-time favorite guests!  In his record-breaking 19th appearance on the show, Scott and I discussed the highlights of the 2022 Comedy Bang Bang Oh No! world tour, memories of the Backyard Era, and his plans for 2023.  Plus: CBB-TV DVDs, searching for MC Hammer, and updates on "Comedy Bang! Bang! The Podcast: The Book!"If you would prefer reading the interview instead of listening, please check out the transcript!

We're making this a holiday tradition every year as we enjoy Dylan Brody's humorous, poignant, and inspiring reading of his original piece "A Child's Christmas In Brief."  

Meena Harris is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ambitious Girl, a lawyer, an entrepreneur, and the founder of Phenomenal, a values-driven, 360-degree media company that centers women and historically excluded communities. She currently resides in the Bay Area with her husband and two daughters.  Meena called in to talk about her charming new book (given 1 million stars by my daughter), The Truth About Mrs. Claus.

It's special episode to help you with your holiday cooking, baking, and shopping!First, we discuss holiday recipes with Food writer and cookbook author Melissa Clark. Melissa is staff reporter for The New York Times Food section, where she writes the popular column “A Good Appetite” and has appeared in over 100 cooking videos. She is the author of The New York Times bestsellers Dinner in French and Dinner in One, as well as Dinner, Dinner in an Instant, Comfort in an Instant, and Kid in the Kitchen. The winner of multiple James Beard and IACP awards, Melissa earned an MFA in writing from Columbia, and her work has been selected for The Best American Food Writing. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.  Then I visit with Andrew Testa, who shares some great goodies and gadgets are popular this season.  Andrew is a technology expert for Verizon.

Samantha Cole is a senior editor for Motherboard, Vice Media's science and technology outlet, where she covers sexuality, online culture, platforms, and the adult industry. Born on Maryland’s eastern shore, Sam’s decade in journalism spans from hyper-local newspapers to national and international outlets including Popular Science, Fast Company, and Al Jazeera. In 2020, she was nominated for a Writers Guild Award for best digital news coverage. In her spare time, Sam can be found biking around Brooklyn, stress-baking, and spelunking into internet subcultures.  Samantha talked about her new book How Sex Changed the Internet and the Internet Changed Sex: An Unexpected History. Learn more about Sam on her website: https://samleecole.com. Dossé-Via Trenou is a West African astrologer who has been studying the field since she was 10 years old. In a quest to know herself better, she explored her own birth chart, as well as those of her friends and family, and astrology became her passion. In July 2011, when Dossé-Via was a sophomore at the University of Southern California, she created her Twitter page @ScorpioMystique, where she shared knowledge about her zodiac sign. She has since attracted hundreds of thousands of loyal readers on her social media accounts. Dossé-Via now shares astrological knowledge with all 12 zodiac signs via her platform and app, KnowTheZodiac.  We discussed her book Signs and Skymates: The Ultimate Guide to Astrological Compatability.

In this episode we discuss National Family Caregiver's Month and how the Parkinson's Foundation recognizes this important month and shares valuable information  for those with Parkinson's and also their caregivers.I'm joined by John Lehr, President and CEO for the Parkinson’s Foundation, along with Veera Rastogi, Parkinson’s care partner and serves on the Parkinson’s Foundation People with Parkinson’s Advisory Council.Please visit www.parkinson.org for more information.

In this episode:Shannon Messenger graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where she learned—among other things—that she liked watching movies much better than making them. She’s studied art, screenwriting, and film production, but she realized her real passion was writing stories for children. She’s the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the award-winning middle grade series, Keeper of the Lost Cities, as well as the Sky Fall series for young adults. Her books have been featured on multiple state reading lists, published in numerous countries, and translated into many different languages. She lives in Southern California with her family—and an embarrassing number of cats.  We talked about her new book "Keeper of the Lost Cities: Stellarlune."Rebecca Sheir is the author of the Circle Round books, and the host, writer, and producer of the Circle Round storytelling podcast. Sheir has also brought thousands of stories to life as a news reporter on public-radio shows like Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Here & Now, The Splendid Table, and Marketplace. She lives in western Massachusetts with her husband and son. The Latest From Storey Publishing The award-winning Circle Round storytelling podcast for modern kids shares some of their most popular folktales in the new Circle Round picture book series. Each interactive book is colorfully illustrated by an artist from where the folktale originates and is accompanied by storytelling prompts and activities. Her new book is "Circle Round: The Great Ball Game."During more than three decades as an editor, writer, photographer, and speaker, Joe Yogerst has lived and worked in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. His writing has appeared in Conde Nast Traveler, CNN Travel, Islands magazine, International New York Times (Paris), Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and National Geographic Traveler. He has contributed to more than 40 National Geographic books, including the best-selling 50 States, 5,000 Ideas; the 2021 Lowell Thomas Award-winning 100 Drives, 5,000 Ideas; and 100 Parks, 5,000 Ideas. His first U.S. novel, a murder-mystery titled Nemesis, was published in 2018. His first children’s book, National Parks: Where the Wild Things Are! was recently published by Basher/Kingfisher in London.  We discussed his newest book "100 Cities, 5000 Ideas: Where to Go, When to Go, What to See, What to do."

On this episode:Michael Mehta Webster is an expert in ecology, conservation, philanthropy, and non-profit management. His research interests focus on how organisms and ecosystems adapt to environmental change, how this information can be translated into effective conservation strategies, and the practical and ethical dilemmas that arise along the way.  We discussed his new book "The Rescue Effect: The Key to Saving Life on Earth."Andrew Fazekas, also known as the "Night Sky Guy" is a science writer, speaker and broadcaster who shares his passion for the wonders of the universe through all media. He writes the popular online stargazing columns for National Geographic and is the author of the bestselling book Backyard Guide to the Night Sky. Fazekas is a syndicated correspondent for television and radio broadcast networks, the communications manager for Astronomers Without Borders and an active sky-watching member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada since 1983. Co-creator of the world’s first open-air, augmented-reality planetarium experience in Canada, Fazekas brings  stars down to Earth in his weekly skywatching livestream shows. He has never met a clear night sky he didn’t like.  Andrew and I had a chat about his new book "National Geographic Stargazer's Atlas: The Ultimate Guide to the Night Sky."Allyson Johnson is a senior editor for National Geographic books, where she publishes travel, photography, cookbooks, and illustrated reference titles, including the New York Times bestselling Blue Zones Kitchen by Dan Buettner; the top-selling 5,000 Ideas series by Joe Yogerst; NATJA award-winning 100 Dives of a Lifetime by Carrie Miller; best-selling What to Eat When by Drs. Michael Roizen and Michael Crupain; and the upcoming National Geographic The 21st Century. Previously she worked as a lifestyle editor at Every Day Rachael Ray magazine where she covered food, travel, and DIY. She lives in northern Virginia with her husband and two children.  Allyson talked about her latest book from National Geographic, "National Geographic Complete National Parks of the United States, 3rd Edition:  400+ Parks, Monuments, Battlefields, Historic Sites, Scenic Trails, Recreation Areas, and Seashores."