Do you have to leave home to find your purpose... or is home exactly where you'll find it?

This week on Red Pub Pod, we sit down with debut author Aaron Kohrs to discuss his inspiring memoir, Big Dreams Back Home: Finding Purpose and Building Community in Small-Town America.

After earning a graduate degree in Ireland, Aaron expected his future to unfold in a major city. Instead, life brought him back to Hickory, North Carolina, where an unexpected lesson emerged: success isn't always measured by promotions, prestige, or the next rung on the career ladder. Sometimes it's found in serving your neighbors, building genuine relationships, volunteering, listening, and discovering that community may be life's greatest achievement.

Join hosts Patty Thompson, Jane St. Clair, and Richard Eller as they explore Aaron's journey—from adopted son to teacher, community organizer, school board candidate, and public engagement professional—and discuss why small towns still have something profound to teach all of us.

It's a conversation about belonging, purpose, empathy, civic engagement, and redefining what it really means to live a successful life.

Oh... and somehow Blue Pub Pod, Yellow Pub Pod, Green Pub Pod make an appearance. You'll have to listen to understand.

Because sometimes the biggest dreams begin by coming back home.

Get your copy of the book at: https://tinyurl.com/BigDreamsBackHome

As always, we are honored to have RedPubPod sponsored by the best little coffee shop in all of North Carolina, Taste Full Beans! Be sure to stop by and let the super-friendly staff know you heard about “TFB” from your favorite literary podcast, RedPubPod!

Taste Full Beans Coffee, Tea & Café

29 2nd Street NW, Hickory, NC

(828) 325-0108

https://www.tastefullbeans.com/

Don’t forget to FOLLOW, SHARE, LIKE, & SUBSCRIBE to RedPubPod! Show some love for the written word by talented writers because carefully chosen words in the proper order can change the world. And in Aaron's case, they probably will!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedhawkPub/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redhawkcreative/

REDPUBPOD HOSTS:

Patty Thompson — Publisher, Redhawk Publications

Jane St. Clair — Associate Editor, Redhawk Publications

Richard Eller — Engineer and Executive Director, Redhawk Publications

KEYWORDS:

#RedhawkPublications #RedPubPod #AaronKohrs #BigDreamsBackHome #AuthorInterview #BookPodcast #BookTube #DebutAuthor #Memoir #CivicMemoir #CommunityBuilding #CommunityEngagement #FindingPurpose #SmallTownAmerica #Leadership #Volunteerism #PersonalGrowth #NorthCarolina #NCAuthors #NorthCarolinaWriters #IndependentPublisher #IndieBooks #NewBooks #BookRecommendations

Rocks, Rivers, and the Stories We Carry

What lies just below the surface? In this episode, Jane St. Clair and Patty Thompson sit down with debut author Howard Pearre to talk about Rocks Just Below the Surface, a moving collection of short stories that follows boys and men through childhood, military service, family, hard choices, and the quiet moments that shape a life.

Howard shares how real people, lived experiences, and decades of observation became fiction, why the perfect title took longer than some of the stories themselves, and how writing communities, critique groups, and a lifelong love of journalism helped bring this collection together. Along the way, the conversation drifts into history, storytelling, paratroopers, newspaper bylines, World War II legacies, and why the best stories are often about relationships rather than heroes.

Grab your favorite coffee (ideally from Taste Full Beans), settle in, and join us for a thoughtful conversation about memory, character, and the hidden currents that carry us all.

Get your copy of the book at: https://tinyurl.com/HowardPearre

As always, we are honored to have RedPubPod sponsored by the best little coffee shop in all of North Carolina, Taste Full Beans! Be sure to stop by and let the super-friendly staff know you heard about “TFB” from your favorite literary podcast, RedPubPod!

Taste Full Beans Coffee, Tea & Café

29 2nd Street NW, Hickory, NC

(828) 325-0108

https://www.tastefullbeans.com/

Don’t forget to FOLLOW, SHARE, LIKE, & SUBSCRIBE to RedPubPod! Show some love for the written word by talented writers because carefully chosen words in the proper order can change the world.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedhawkPub/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redhawkcreative/

#RedhawkPublications, #RedPubPod, #HowardPearre #RocksJustBelowTheSurface #Writers, #NorthCarolinaWriters #NewBooks, #ShortStories, #WinstonSalemWriters

"Write what you don't know about what you already know" - Brad Lott

From pinto beans and corn bread to guns and hooper swans, this episode with debut novelist Jim Haughey will keep you on your toes. And it's not just his charming Irish brogue!

Join Redhawk staff Richard and Jane as they interview Jim, along with decades-long friend and trusted editor, Tom Rash.

The crew all get down to business discussing The Broken Season, Jim's newly released historical novel set among Irish immigrant railroad workers in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the mid-1800s.

Together, they explore the importance of xxx, the challenges of balancing historical accuracy with imagination, and the editorial process that shaped the novel into a compelling mix of history, mystery, and memorable characters. Along the way, Jim shares insights, humor, and the warmth of his Irish roots in a conversation that's as engaging as the novel itself.

More information about the author and the novel can be found at jimhaugheywriter.com and thebrokenseason.com

Get your copy of the book at: https://tinyurl.com/TheBrokenSeason

REDPUBPOD HOSTS:

Richard Eller — Executive Director, Redhawk Publications

Jane St. Clair — Associate Editor, Redhawk Publications

Tom Rash — Guest host, Editor

As always, we are honored to have RedPubPod sponsored by the best little coffee shop in all of North Carolina, Taste Full Beans! Be sure to stop by and let the super-friendly staff know you heard about “TFB” from your favorite literary podcast, RedPubPod!

Taste Full Beans Coffee, Tea & Café

29 2nd Street NW, Hickory, NC

(828) 325-0108

https://www.tastefullbeans.com/

Don’t forget to FOLLOW, SHARE, LIKE, & SUBSCRIBE to RedPubPod! Show some love for the written word by talented writers because carefully chosen words in the proper order can change the world.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedhawkPub/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redhawkcreative/

#RedhawkPublications, #RedPubPod, #JimHaughey, #TheBrokenSeason, #Writers, #SouthCarolinaWriters #IrishDiaspora, #NewBooks, #IrishAuthors, #HistoricFiction #Novels #HistoricNovels