May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Erica, a librarian at the Franklin Avenue Library, joins us on the podcast today to discuss a selection of picture books that can help kids learn about mental health and feelings such as grief, anger, and anxiety.
Iowa author Joseph LeValley joins host Aaron Gernes. LeValley is the author of the Tony Harrington thriller series, about a small-town Iowa newspaper reporter who uncovers conspiracies and solves mysteries using his reporting skills and sources.
LeValley's newest novel in the series, The Third Side of Murder, takes Harrington out of Iowa and has him chasing mafiosos in New York City and Italy, while calling on his Iowa connections to help him solve the mystery of his cousin's death.
In the podcast, LeValley discusses his winding path to becoming an author, which featured pit stops as a journalist and as a health care executive. He discusses why it took 33 years for his first book to be completed and what he enjoys most about setting his novels in rural Iowa.