In this episode of She's Not Done Yet: Conversations with women over 50, I (Becky Berry) talk with author Mary Ann Noe.

This is a return visit for Mary Ann. We previously talked about her books A Handful of Pearls and Water the Color of Slate.

In this episode we talk about one of the books she was finishing up at the time of the last interview.

Mary Ann is the embodiment of She's Not Done Yet. She's in her late 70's and is publishing a book a year. Talk about not being done yet!

We talked about Mary Ann’s book Deserving of Murder: A Lynn and Alfred Tale. The Lynn and Alfred are Lynn Fontane and Alfred Lunt, one of the most famous acting teams of all time. The setting of the book is at their home, Ten Chimneys, in Wisconsin, where Mary Ann serves as a docent.

The book is set in the winter of 1947 when there was a massive blizzard in Wisconsin. The unbelievable amounts of snow lend an additional air of mystery to the book.

In our chat we talk about Ten Chimneys as a character in the book (there’s a room that has 6 doors) and there are cabins and a pool and all sorts of places where bad things can happen.

Mary Ann shares great stories about Lynn and Alfred and Ten Chimneys, and how she used her knowledge of the building to create a compelling read. I found out I’m not the only person who had trouble identifying the killer!

Also look for the second book in Mary Ann’s Lynn and Alfred Tales: Glass Flowers & Diamond Stickpins, published in May 2025.

You can find Mary Ann books at independent bookstores, on Amazon (including Kindle), at Barnes & Noble, and from her publisher, Black Rose Writing.

Thank you for listening!

Thanks in Advance for your help:

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you did, don't keep it a secret! Please tell a friend. Your recommendation is the most powerful way to help us acquire new listeners.

Also, if you're listening to us on Apple podcasts, please rate and review us.

Suggestions for future episodes:

Have someone you want me to interview (including you)? Email me at shesnotdoneyetyall@gmail.com.

Have a topic you'd like for me to discuss? Email me at shesnotdoneyetyall@gmail.com.

Resources and Show Links:

Mary Ann Noe's blog: www.maryannnoe.com

Mary Ann’s publisher: www.blackrosewriting.com/

Email Becky: shesnotdoneyetyall@gmail.com

My coaching website: https://beckyberrycoach.com

My LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckyberrycoach/

This podcast was recorded, produced, edited, and marketed by Becky Berry.

Thanks again for listening and sharing!

Becky

In this episode of She’s Not Done Yet: Conversations with Wise Women hosted by Becky Berry, I chatted with Monica Smith, author of “Steel Victories: A Father-Daughter Success Story.”

Here’s a fun LinkedIn story. I found Monica when she replied to a post from a woman we both follow. When I connected with Monica, I saw she’d written a memoir. So, I reached out to her and asked her to be on the podcast. This is the result.

“Steel Victories” is Monica’s memoir of life with her father. Neither of us are big fans of useless introductions in books, so Monica reimagined her introduction as a compass for the book. Make sure you read it.

This book is a powerful study of power, determination, faith, and grit told in Monica’s voice. It’s authentic, gripping, and uplifting. I LOVED it.

Monica takes us through the trajectory of her dad’s life, including a stint as a champion boxer in the Army during Vietnam and his transition back to civilian life.

We talk about the amazing gift of great parents, what it’s like to have a girl dad who “didn’t raise genders, he raised conquerors.” Monica shares with us how the confidence instilled in her by her father led her to success in unexpected places.

We also dig into the powerful and skillful way Monica talks about the racism her dad and her family faced.

Monica talks about her musical talents, including beatboxing, and we explore how it feels to improvise every time you perform. It’s stunning.

I’ll let the podcast speak for itself.

Monica also talks about the musical piece she and her sister, Dara Smith, created for the book – “Symphony from Heaven.” You can find it on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, etc.

“Steel Victories” is available in hard back, paperback, e-book, and audio book wherever you buy your books. It’s also available, along with “Symphony from Heaven” on the book’s website: https://steelvictories.com.

Make sure you grab a copy and read it!

Thanks in Advance for your help:

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you did, don't keep it a secret! Please tell a friend. Your recommendation is the most powerful way to help us acquire new listeners.

Also, if you're listening to us on Apple podcasts, please rate and review us.

Suggestions for future episodes:

Have someone you want me to interview (including you)? Email me at shesnotdoneyetyall@gmail.com.

Have a topic you'd like me to discuss? Email me at shesnotdoneyetyall@gmail.com.

Resources and Show Links:

Everything you need to know about “Steel Victories”: https://steelvictories.com.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-smith-505a0117/

Instagram: @monicac_smith

Facebook: Monica C. Smith

Reach me here:

Email me: shesnotdoneyetyall@gmail.com

My coaching website: https://beckyberrycoach.com

My LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckyberrycoach/

This podcast was recorded, produced, edited, and marketed by yours truly, Becky Berry.

Thanks again for listening and sharing!

Becky

It’s always a treat when I (Becky Berry) get to chat with a novelist. In this episode of She’s Not Done Yet I chat with author Denise Frost who writes under the name DC Frost.

We cover a wide range of topics including her background, aging well, writing and publishing as a Latina author, publishing her first book (“A Punishing Breed”) at 60+, and, since we spoke 2 days after the election, the future.

In 2024 the New York Times recognized DJ Arias, the protagonist in the book, as one of Four Great Fictional Detectives.

I love to ask authors to share their writing process and their journey to publication. Denise talks about leveraging her own life experience to write the book. She set “A Punishing Breed” on a college campus because she spent 19 years working at a small private liberal arts college. She describes the “hermetically sealed world” of college campuses where every voice is amplified and found it a powerful background for her book.

One of my favorite nuggets is her description of how she finally completed the book. She was stuck, and due to a tragic event, found herself working with a therapist. The therapist got her to commit to writing for 2 or 3 hours a day, at the same time each day. To paraphrase what Denise says, when you show up the words show up – and they did!

She serendipitously met her publisher at a weeklong writing retreat. They stayed in touch.

We also talk about the importance of writing groups to writers. Denise has been a member of several groups, finally finding a group of fiction writers.

Finally, we talk about a couple of subjects near and dear to my heart – aging well and activism. Denise and I recorded this episode the day after the inauguration, so we had a lot to talk about.

Thanks in Advance for your help:

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you did, don't keep it a secret! Please tell a friend. Your recommendation is the most powerful way to help us acquire new listeners.

Also, if you're listening to us on Apple podcasts, please rate and review us.

Suggestions for future episodes:

Have someone you want me to interview (including you)? Email me at shesnotdoneyetyall@gmail.com.

Have a topic you'd like me to discuss? Email me at shesnotdoneyetyall@gmail.com.

Resources and Show Links:

· https://www.denisefrost.net/

· https://redhen.org/book_author/dc-frost/

· https://www.instagram.com/dcfrost_writer/

· https://www.facebook.com/denisecfrost

Email me (Becky): shesnotdoneyetyall@gmail.com

My coaching website: https://beckyberrycoach.com

My LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckyberrycoach/

This podcast was recorded, produced, edited, and marketed by me, Becky Berry.

Thanks again for listening and sharing!

Becky