It is an honor to welcome one of the nation’s foremost historians Nathaniel Philbrick, author of several award-winning books including “Mayflower,” “Valiant Ambition,” and “Bunker Hill.” His latest is “The Rush : California Gold, the Civil War, and the Making of the Modern World.” Philbrick follows the gold from its discovery in the late 1840’s to a colorful cast of characters in the halls of power, revealing how vigilantism hardened into law and how debates over slavery in the West tipped the balance in Washington. His book is loaded with fascinating information about one of the most impactful events in our history. The Gold Rush involved a series of dramatic events, setting the stage for America’s economic, geographic and cultural history.

In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it is my honor to welcome Air Force (Ret.) Maj. Gen. Jonathan Treacy to the podcast. General Treacy was the commander of the 101st Fighter Squadron at Cape Cod that provided the initial air defense response to the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers. Tracer, as he is known to fellow fighter pilots and ground crews, also led the 101st through two combat deployments to Southwest Asia prior to 9/11: Operations Northern and Southern Watch. He served as the Joint Staff’s Deputy Director for Antiterrorism and Homeland Defense, as acting Director of Staff for the National Guard Bureau, and Commander, Joint Task Civil Support, U.S. Northern Command’s Standing Operational Joint Task Force. Major General Treacy has been awarded several service medals and was the keynote speaker during the 25th Annual Commemoration in the Massachusetts State House Chambers on September 11th. Special thanks to the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund for their dedication to remembrance and education. www.massfund.org.

I love to highlight creative thinkers and writers on the show. Today, an outstanding example of just such a writer! Meet Trisha Blanchet, former reporter, editor, and award-winning columnist. She’s penned a new fantasy-mystery entitled, “Murder Like Magic,” featuring a telepathic witch-slash-private investigator named Tess Tulley. The action takes place in Mill City, a pseudonym for Lowell Massachusetts, where a community of witches of Irish descent make up a good portion of the citizenry, each with his or her own rather unique magical powers. Well, there is murderer afoot and it’s up to Tess to figure things out while dodging threats from a bevy of unsavory “Spinners.” “Murder Like Magic” is a solid mystery with colorful characters, just the thing for fans of wisecracking PI’s who beat the odds to solve the case!