Join Terry Shepherd as he sits down with author Gabriella Saab to explore the history and heart behind her new novel, The Survivors Guild. The conversation dives into the little-known experiences of Lebanese immigrants aboard the Titanic and the unique challenges faced by survivors in the disaster's aftermath.

Episode Highlights

• Saab reveals how attending a Southern Federation of Syrian Lebanese Americans convention introduced her to the forgotten history of Lebanese passengers on the Titanic.
• The discussion unpacks the stark contrast between Bea Nora, a resilient Lebanese woman seeking work to support her family, and Marguerite Ashby, a naive American heiress trapped by an impending arranged marriage.
• Saab shares the bizarre, true historical account of an upper-class woman taking in two unclaimed toddler boys after the sinking, which inspired the novel's emotional core.
• The episode explores the unique dynamic of Bea and Marguerite forming a charitable committee to find their rescued baby's next of kin and assist third-class survivors.
• Saab explains her authorial approach to balancing historical accuracy with narrative pacing, such as altering cabin placements to heighten the immediacy of the disaster.
• Saab reflects on her time co-hosting HF Chit Chat, a supportive online community for historical fiction writers and readers.

About The Survivors Guild Instead of focusing solely on the famous shipwreck, the novel examines the complicated aftermath of survival. It highlights the heavy emotional and economic burdens of immigration, the rigid class rules of the Gilded Age, and the profound, isolating realities women faced across different socioeconomic backgrounds. Through their shared trauma and dedication to an orphaned boy, Bea and Marguerite forge an unlikely alliance that ultimately transforms their lives.

Connect with Gabriella Saab

• Discover more about her writing at gabriellasaab.com.
• Follow her updates and historical insights on Instagram and Substack.
• Pick up a copy of The Survivors Guild and The Last Checkmate to support human authors and uncover hidden historical narratives.

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Host Terry Shepherd steps into the shadowy world of international espionage and political betrayal with Bill and Karen Brodsky. Writing under the pen name K.B. Brodsky, this dynamic husband-and-wife duo joins the show to discuss their debut thriller, Beyond Honor.

Beyond Honor launches a gripping new series that transports readers from the war-torn streets of Damascus to the frozen reaches of Siberia, and from Alaska's Kenai Peninsula to the halls of power in Washington. The story follows Kevin Rhodes, a grieving paramilitary operative tasked with a dangerous solo extraction in Russia, while CIA analyst Whitney Schuyler tracks a Russian-backed bank conspiracy that reaches all the way to the Oval Office.

In this episode, Bill and Karen pull back the curtain on how two mild-mannered civilians crafted a high-stakes intelligence thriller and learned to navigate the delicate process of co-writing a novel after 30 years of marriage.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• The Spark of Creation: How Bill secretly wrote the first 70 pages of the manuscript and surprised Karen with it.
• The Co-Writing Process: The couple's daily routine, their use of Google Docs, and their strict rule to never make edits without mutual approval.
• Building the Characters: How the authors balanced action and emotion to craft deeply human characters, from old-school Cold War spy Cynthia King to Russian operative Anya Pestova.
• A Grounded World: Why the authors prioritized believable, real-world inspirations over superhero tropes to create a mosaic of interconnected global stories.
• Looking Ahead: The exciting news of K.B. Brodsky's two-book deal with Simon & Schuster.
• Dream Casting: The couple's humorous Hollywood aspirations, including pitching Meryl Streep for the role of CIA head Summers.

Connect with K.B. Brodsky:

To learn more about Bill and Karen, or to pick up your copy of Beyond Honor, visit their official website at kbbrodsky.com.

We all inevitably become the brand. And that's why I wrote, "How to Become a Dynamic Podcast Guest and Sell Stuff." It's a sweet and short primer that teaches you about the gear, the appearance and the messaging that can grab and hold today's micro-attention spans and motivate your listeners to take action. It's Just a dollar ninety nine at Amazon. Grab your copy today and sell mo

In this episode, Terry Shepherd sits down with Korey Rowe—Army veteran, filmmaker, and entrepreneur—to discuss his raw new memoir, The Soldier That Left: The Untold Story of Loose Change. The conversation explores Rowe's extraordinary journey from the battlefields of the Middle East to producing one of the internet's first viral blockbusters, offering an unfiltered look at dissent, survival, and the search for identity.

From the Front Lines to Dissent

• Rowe originally enlisted in the US Army to find direction as a high school dropout from a poor area of upstate New York.
• His very first day of basic training coincided with the September 11 attacks, rapidly pulling him into deployments across Afghanistan and Iraq.
• Deeply disillusioned by the loss of his fellow soldiers and innocent Iraqi lives, Rowe made the difficult choice to go AWOL rather than accept a forced third deployment.
• He spent six years navigating the fallout before finally presenting his case to an officer and receiving an honorable discharge.

The "Loose Change" Phenomenon

• Teaming up with his childhood friend Dylan, Rowe pivoted a poorly acted fictional project into the controversial 9/11 documentary Loose Change.
• The film captured the cultural zeitgeist, dominating early streaming platforms like Google Video and sparking extreme reactions from both loyal grassroots supporters and fierce media critics.
• This viral explosion launched Rowe from a struggling veteran into Hollywood contract negotiations with major figures like Charlie Sheen and Mark Cuban.

Mental Health and Rewiring the Mind

• Rowe candidly discusses living as a 100% PTSD-disabled veteran with Bipolar II disorder.
• He credits a combination of therapy, journaling, and cannabis (leading to his current role as a dispensary owner) for his survival during his darkest years.
• Today, he relies on a mental "operating system" built from stoicism, Adlerian psychology, and books like The Courage to Be Disliked to maintain a healthy perspective.

We all inevitably become the brand. And that's why I wrote, "How to Become a Dynamic Podcast Guest and Sell Stuff." It's a sweet and short primer that teaches you about the gear, the appearance and the messaging that can grab and hold today's micro-attention spans and motivate your listeners to take action. It's Just a dollar ninety nine at Amazon. Grab your copy today and sell mo