In this episode of The Book Club, Ruth Klein sits down with author Sevan Minaskanian to explore storytelling, family, identity, and the deeply personal experiences that inspired her journey as a writer.
Sevan moved to the United States from Armenia when she was eight years old without speaking English. Growing up speaking Armenian and French, she experienced bullying because of the language barrier, but those early experiences became part of the story that shaped who she would eventually become.
A lifelong storyteller and natural daydreamer, Sevan always had a gift for creating detailed, emotional, and visual stories. She recalls how people would naturally gather around her at parties simply to listen to her tell stories, long before she ever considered becoming a published author.
Sevan credits her father, an unpublished writer, for inspiring her love of writing, while her mother influenced the outgoing and friendly personality she carries today. Her path to becoming an author took a deeply personal turn during an anniversary trip to Vail, Colorado, where an emotional experience involving her late father sparked the beginning of her writing journey.
After her father appeared to her in a dream and encouraged her to write, her husband gave her the tools to begin, including a journal and laptop. That experience eventually led to her debut young adult romance novel, Wintertime.
Published through Incline Publishing, Wintertime draws heavily from Sevan’s own life. From the bridge inspired by Vail to characters and details connected to her family, the novel blends personal memories with fiction to create an emotionally driven story.
Sevan shares what it means to turn real experiences into storytelling, honor the people who shaped you, and find the courage to finally put your stories on the page. She also discusses the upcoming books in her trilogy, Winter Love and Winter Dream.

In this episode of The Book Club, Ruth Klein sits down with Billie Miles, founder and CEO of Miles Financial Group, to explore wealth, retirement, family, faith, and building a meaningful legacy.
With more than 20 years of experience in financial services, Billie specializes in holistic integrated fiduciary planning, helping families transition from building wealth to confidently living off their wealth in retirement.
Billie shares insights from his professional journey and discusses the philosophy behind his book, Peace of Mind for the Miles Ahead. He explains why financial planning should go beyond numbers and investments to consider a person's goals, values, family, and vision for the future.
The conversation also explores the three values that have guided Billie throughout his life and career: faith, family, and education. Raised in a deeply faith centered family, Billie discusses how his upbringing shaped his approach to leadership, service, and business.
Ruth and Billie also discuss building a family business and working alongside multiple generations of family members at Miles Financial Group. From his siblings to his nephews, family plays an important role in the company's culture and long term vision.
Billie also reflects on fatherhood, legacy, and the lessons passed down to him by his parents, including the importance of education, responsibility, and creating opportunities for the next generation.
This episode offers a thoughtful conversation about financial freedom, purposeful living, family legacy, and finding peace not only through financial preparation, but through the values that shape how we live.

In this episode of The Book Club with Ruth Klein, Ruth welcomes Dr. Suze Q and LeeAnn Taylor for a deeply personal conversation about relationships, resilience, caregiving, spirituality, and the transformative power of telling your story.
Dr. Suze Q, a recently retired clinical psychologist, shares the fascinating story behind her online persona, “Suze Q,” which began more than 20 years ago while playing poker online. What started as an avatar and personal diary eventually became a 500 page memoir exploring online dating after 50, relationships, and the psychology of the people she encountered along the way.
Her book, Cyber Frogs and Princes: A Sex Manual of Online Dating After Age 50, combines personal experience with psychological insight and chronicles her journey toward eventually finding her own “prince charming.”
LeeAnn Taylor brings a very different but equally powerful story. An author, intuitive mentor, and spiritual teacher, LeeAnn shares her journey as a mother of five and caregiver to children affected by Fragile X syndrome.
Her book, The Fragile Face of God, grew from hundreds of pages of personal journals documenting years of caregiving, trauma, grief, guilt, and ultimately healing.
LeeAnn also reflects on the spiritual experiences that shaped her understanding of purpose and faith, including the profound loss of her mother during childhood and the spiritual awakening that followed years later.
Together, Ruth, Suze Q, and LeeAnn explore how life's most difficult experiences can become sources of wisdom, connection, and transformation. Their stories demonstrate how writing can help us process the past, understand ourselves more deeply, and turn personal experiences into meaningful messages for others.