Storybeat with Steve Cuden

Leslie A. Rasmussen wrote TV comedies for folks like Gerald McRaney, Burt Reynolds, Roseanne Barr, Norm McDonald, and Drew Carey, while working on popular sit-coms such as Major Dad, Roseanne, ALF, The Wild Thornberrys, Sweet Valley High, Evening Shade, Norm, and The Good Life.After leaving the TV industry to raise her boys, Leslie obtained a master's degree in nutrition and ran her own business for ten years.She’s been published over twenty times in the Huffington Post and speaks on panels discussing female empowerment.Leslie’s debut novel, After Happily Ever After, has won over fifteen awards, and her second novel, The Stories We Cannot Tell, has won eleven awards.Her latest novel, When People Leave, was released in May 2025. I’ve read When People Leave and can tell you it’s a highly engaging, superbly crafted tale about death, grief, and the unraveling of a family mystery that involves three sisters going on the road together, all told with a light touch and great heart.

Paige N. Regan is a dark fantasy author known for her great ability to infuse humor into the macabre. With a focus on Young Adult and Adult novels, her captivating stories transport readers into worlds teeming with magic, myth, and murder. Her most recently published works include: Sin and Bones and Blood and Stone, which are the first two books of the Sin and Bones trilogy. Paige’s upcoming Gothic Fantasy novel, We Are Buried in the Garden, is set to be released in September 2026.I’ve read Sin and Bones and can tell you it’s an exciting dark fantasy story about a teenage girl dealing with all the difficulties involved in growing up while facing supernatural forces and influences that create unusual challenges for her to overcome.For the record, Paige and I met while she was a student at Point Park University, and I was one of her screenwriting professors.  Paige has the distinction of being the very first of my former students to appear as a guest on StoryBeat.  And I couldn’t be more proud or pleased. Truthfully, for me, this is a milestone moment.

Amy Meislin Pollack was a teacher for over four decades. From her own childhood, to the classroom, to being a parent of three and grandparent to seven, she’s perfectly positioned to write her coming-of-age book series based on a mischievous young girl, Jillian Kramer, who everyone calls Jelly Bean. After 60 years of occasionally working on her Jelly Bean books, Amy took advantage of the Covid pandemic to finish them.The series began with The Adventures of Jelly Bean, which first came to Amy when her fourth-grade teacher asked her to get up in front of the class and tell stories about Jelly Bean, which she would make up as she went along. Several years later she began writing down the Jelly Bean stories, and would work on them periodically in any free time she had during her teaching career and while raising her three children.The second in the series, The Further Adventures of Jelly Bean, was followed up by The Still Further Adventures of Jelly Bean, which I’ve read. It’s a charming take on the emotional challenges confronting Jelly Bean as she tries to navigate through the relentless turmoil of growing up.  She tries to work out relationships with her friends, her parents, her older brothers, and her uncle among others. Jelly Bean’s parents don’t want her best friend, who is of mixed race, to visit. Another friend is anorexic. One brother drops out of school. A grandparent dies. In other words, it’s about the struggles many young girls face as they grow up.Amy earned advanced degrees from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and NYU. For six years Amy was a professor of writing, and a teacher in the tutoring center at Montclair State University.

Amy Aniobi, is the Executive Producer of the hit HBO comedy "Insecure.” She also has various projects in development including at Amazon with Jill Soloway’s Topple Productions. Her past produced credits include NBC’s “Trial & Error,” HBO's "Silicon Valley," NBC's "The Michael J. Fox Show," "2 Dope Queens," and web series "Lisa and Amy Are Black," "The Slutty Years," and "Awkward Black Girl."The post Amy Aniobi, Writer-Producer – Episode #20 Encore appeared first on Storybeat with Steve Cuden.

David Newell is an actor known primarily for his portrayal of the beloved Mr. McFeely, the deliveryman on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Mr. McFeely’s most famous catchphrase is "Speedy Delivery!"The post David Newell, Actor-Mr. McFeely – Episode #24 Encore appeared first on Storybeat with Steve Cuden.