Dedicated with Doug Brunt

Richard Haass: dry martini (3 ounces gin, a few drops of dry vermouth, served up with 3 olives)Richard reveals for the first time a confidential memo regarding the war in Iraq that he hand-delivered to Secretary Powell, why he feels America is in a "uniquely dangerous" time in the world, the TV show that most accurately portrays the Situation Room, how he prepares himself for writing memos, books or briefing presidents, why his book THE WORLD: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION is an important read for all citizens.

Mike Rowe: Manhattan (2 1/2 ounces Knobel whiskey, 1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth, bitters, Luxardo cherry)Author (and host) of THE WAY I HEARD IT Mike talks about being fired three times from QVC and hired twice to host The Daily Show for Comedy Central, his thoughts on Jon Stewart and the origins of fake news, his struggles with a childhood stammer and how a music teacher helped him overcome, how podcasting has evolved in the last few years, his terrific book that combines shocking historical events with Mike’s unique perspective, the #1 dirtiest job, and some thoughts on the key ingredients for a good life.

Kashmir Hill: gin & tonicNew York Times technology reporter Kashmir Hills explains the incredible and horrifying implications of AI and facial recognition, the pair of eyeglasses developed by Meta that can instantly tell you EVERYTHING about a person just by glancing at them, what Oppenheimer and Heather Douglas meant by “technical sweetness”, how we might live in a new world of technology that allows people “no fresh starts”, and what she misses most from the 1980s that she would like to have back.

Dani Shapiro: Mezcal Negroni (1 ounce mezcal, 1 ounce sweet vermouth, 1 ounce Campari, garnish with orange slice)Award-winning author Dani Shapiro discusses how the effort of her first books refined her future work and process so that in addition to focusing on the music of her writing she’s also focused on the meaning, explains that she had to slow down the rush of storytelling in her gripping memoir INHERITANCE because she was living the tale as she was writing it, tells of the happy ‘accidents’ of co-founding a writers’ conference in Positano, Italy and of launching her hit podcast FAMILY SECRETS, and how when writing a book that jumps time that it can be useful to work on the book for as long as the jumps.

Award-winning author and journalist Howard Blum discusses his coverage of the Idaho murders, different research methods, writing for Air Mail, comparing national intelligence agencies, and the book that inspired his career.

Brad Meltzer: tequilaBrad reveals what it takes to make him wear his underpants on the outside, the wildest forms of terror attack that he brainstormed with the CIA and FBI while a member of the Red Cell Unit, some hilarious insider stories of Barbara Bush, what’s underneath the White House, how he started his “I Am…” book series for kids, and how he first fell in love with the writing process.

Alex Aster: espresso martini (2 ounces vodka, 1/2 ounce Kahlua, 1 ounce espresso, garnish with 3 coffee beans, serve up)Alex discusses the oral tradition of storytelling in her family and her Colombian heritage, her dogged efforts to land a literary agent when she was 12-years old, how she skipped her college graduation day to land an agent and a book deal, how she leverages TikTok and other platform to reach millions of readers, and gives an update on her work with Universal and the movie version of Lightlark.

Adam Plantinga: Coffee, blackAward-winning author and San Francisco cop Adam Plantinga talks about the differences between vacation problems (getting sunscreen on his daughters) and work problems (getting charged by a criminal wielding a butcher knife), the favorite and most influential books he’s read, how humor can be an important tool on the job (both jobs), his debut novel The Ascent, and one thing he wants the public to know about law enforcement.

Lightening Round: Some of the most thought provoking and entertaining responses to the Lightening Round questions from our Season 1 guests.Then Doug plays - free to listeners - the complete Prologue of THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF RUDOLF DIESEL, narrated by Scott Brick, courtesy of Simon & Schuster Audio. 

Gad Saad: Bailey's on the rocksProfessor Saad discusses the nuanced differences between fellow Canadian Jordan Peterson and himself, how he manages to remain a Happy Warrior in the face of toxicity and a workplace that has been compared to Gaza, how he teaches the art of storytelling even in the presentation of scientific material, the mental conditions that contribute to whether a person is open minded and persuadable or stuck, and names the 122 sq miles on earth (an island country) that is the most conducive to human happiness.