Second Chances, Wild Bird

Second Chances (3:44) Who hasn’t occasionally wanted a second shot at something? Would it surprise you to learn that even the best authors often want, and sometimes get, a second chance? Our first guest Michael Buckley has such a story. He talks to Rachel and her intern Olivia Noli, about publishing the 10th anniversary edition of his series, The Sisters Grimm. He didn’t make major changes, but he did get a chance to tweek some things. Buckley is the New York Times bestselling author not only of The Sisters Grimm series, but also the Nerds series, the YA trilogy Undertow, and Kel Gilligan’s Daredevil Stunt Show. He has worked in television development for Discovery Channel, TLC, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network, where he co-created the animated series, Robotomy. He's also the co-founder of the OMG Book Festival - a traveling middle-grade book carnival targeted at reluctant readers and disenfranchised children. Wild Bird (13:05) Next, Rachel welcomes Young Adult book author Wendelin Van Draanen who talks about her newly published book, Wild Bird, and what inspired her to write it. She also shares her mission as an author – to write stories that will help kids to look at tough situations before they happen. Van Draanen has written more than thirty novels for young readers including: the Sammy Keyes mystery series (recipient of the Edgar Award), and Flipped (which became a Warner Brothers feature film in 2010). Other titles include The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones and The Running Dream, and, two other series: The Shredderman and The Gecko & Sticky. A high school classroom teacher for fifteen years, Wendelin is now a full-time writer. Reading Aloud (22:08) Finally, Cole Wissinger, a member of the Worlds Awaiting team, talks to Jeff Simpson, co-host of The Matt Townsend Show and host of Screen Cleaning, both on BYU Radio. They chat about the quest of finding quality entertainment for families. And Jeff also shares memories of his dad reading out loud to him as a child and how he’s carrying on this tradition with his own children. Although he grew up a shy kid, Jeff Simpson now makes his living performing. His first BIG role was in a Junior High production of Charlotte’s Web, in which he played ‘Uncle,’ the pig who wins first prize at the fair. Jeff loved the feeling that came from making people laugh. So he continued to act throughout High School and after graduation he earned a spot in BYU’s Divine Comedy troupe. Jeff created 365 different character voices in one year as part of his blog, “365 Days of Voices.” He later was hired to lend his voice to multiple animated projects, including the series, “The Insectibles”, now airing on Amazon Prime. Jeff is the Co-Host of The Matt Townsend Show, as well as the host of the entertainment show, Screen Cleaning. When he’s not behind the mic, Jeff enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids. He loves movies, ping pong, board games, hiking and reading (and is lucky enough to get paid to do it.)