Category: Books

What If History Took a Different Turn? A Conversation with Author Jon A. Gegenheimer

by Billy Dees, posted in Podcast, Books, Media, Social Media
A man in a suit and glasses delivering a speech at a podium, with a bouquet on his lapel, and an American flag in the background.
Jon A. Gegenheimer

History is full of facts.

It is also full of things that never happened.

And that’s where things get interesting.

On the latest episode of the Billy Dees Podcast, I sat down with Jon A. Gegenheimer, a longtime attorney, elected court official, and author whose books take readers into the sometimes uncomfortable territory where history, fiction, law, morality, and human nature collide.

Gegenheimer describes his approach to historical fiction as essentially fact packaged as fiction. His novels are heavily researched and footnoted, with real historical people, places, events, and ideas providing the framework for stories that also allow room for imagination.

And then there is the bigger question:

What if?

That question sits at the center of his latest book, Churchill vs. Hitler: The Untold Golf Match That Changed History.

Yes, you read that correctly.

A golf match.

Between Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler.

Three months before Hitler invaded Poland and World War II began.

The match never actually happened. That’s the point.

Gegenheimer’s alternative-history novel takes an event that could have happened, places it against a meticulously researched historical backdrop, and asks what might have followed. The story incorporates figures including Churchill, Sigmund Freud, Bernard Darwin, and Ian Fleming while exploring how Churchill’s supposed golf match with Hitler becomes a template for understanding his eventual confrontation with Nazi Germany.

It’s a fascinating premise because alternative history isn’t really about pretending the past was different.

It’s about understanding how easily it could have been different.

A Lawyer Who Became a Novelist

Gegenheimer’s background makes his approach to storytelling particularly interesting.

He spent decades working in law, including complex litigation, criminal law, bankruptcy, title law, and other areas of practice. He later moved into the administrative side of the court system, where he became involved in bringing technology into the justice system.

That legal background naturally finds its way into his fiction.

Trials, evidence, competing arguments, moral choices, and the consequences of decisions are recurring elements in his books. His novel The Griffin Murders, for example, is a murder mystery involving a Louisiana Supreme Court justice, a U.S. attorney, a series of murders, and a contentious issue involving the separation of church and state.

In other words, this isn’t simply fiction written by someone who happens to like history.

It’s fiction written by someone who has spent a considerable portion of his life watching people make decisions—and then deal with the consequences.

That’s fertile ground for a novelist.

Katrina, Creativity, and Starting Over

One of the more interesting parts of our conversation was how Gegenheimer became a writer in the first place.

Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and disrupted virtually every aspect of his professional and personal life. With the courthouse shut down and his normal routine interrupted, he began looking for something productive to occupy his time.

Writing became part creative outlet, part intellectual exercise, and, as he described it, potentially a form of therapy following a traumatic experience.

His first major project grew from that period.

He began with September 11, 2001, and imagined a story extending decades into the future. The result was a futuristic work of historical fiction that attempted to project how history might unfold over several generations. Interestingly, some of the events he imagined in 2010 ended up looking less fictional as the years passed.

That’s another intriguing aspect of writing about the future:

Eventually, the future gets here.

And then you find out whether your imagination was actually imagination—or just a strangely early appointment with reality.

Churchill, Hitler, and the Problem With “What If?”

Our conversation eventually turned toward Winston Churchill and the question of leadership.

Gegenheimer’s interpretation of Churchill centers on his willingness to confront Hitler rather than appease him. He draws parallels between historical events surrounding World War II and contemporary questions about leadership and negotiation. Those comparisons are part of his broader interest in how lessons from history can inform the way people think about the present.

But the more interesting issue isn’t necessarily whether every historical comparison is perfect.

It’s the exercise of making the comparison.

History gives us the benefit of hindsight. Leaders don’t have that luxury.

They have incomplete information, competing advice, political pressure, personal biases, and sometimes only a narrow window in which to make a decision.

Then history gets to grade the paper.

That is one reason the “what if?” question can be so useful. It forces us to think about contingency—the possibility that a different decision, a different personality, or a different event could have produced a dramatically different outcome.

The Moral Dilemma

Another major theme of our conversation was morality.

Gegenheimer believes fiction can do more than entertain. He wants his stories to make readers think about reason, morality, competing perspectives, and the consequences of attempting to justify actions simply because someone believes the desired outcome is worthwhile.

That gets into one of the oldest questions in philosophy:

Does the end justify the means?

It’s an easy question to answer when you’re sitting comfortably on the sidelines.

It gets considerably harder when you’re the person standing in the middle of the dilemma.

That’s where good fiction can become more than escapism. Put a character into a situation where every available choice has consequences, and suddenly the reader has to participate in the decision.

There may not be a comfortable answer.

There may not even be an obvious answer.

And that’s exactly why moral dilemmas make good stories.

You Don’t Have to Quit Your Day Job to Write

There was also a practical side to our conversation that I think aspiring writers will appreciate.

Gegenheimer has written five stories over roughly two decades while maintaining his professional career and family life. His advice isn’t particularly glamorous—and that’s probably why it’s useful.

Write when you can.

Use the time you have.

Accept that some days—or even longer stretches—nothing may get written.

Then start again.

He describes writing as an incremental process and emphasizes persistence rather than expecting a first book to magically become a bestseller.

That’s probably good advice for almost any creative endeavor.

The glamorous part is publishing the finished work.

The unglamorous part is everything that happens before that.

History, Fiction, and a Crazy World

Near the end of our conversation, Gegenheimer talked about a future nonfiction project focused on a contemporary political figure and the events of the 21st century. He also discussed the growing role of artificial intelligence and his efforts to understand how AI might be incorporated into court functions while maintaining human oversight.

And that brought us right back to where the conversation began.

History.

Because we’re living through it.

Every day.

The strange thing about history is that people living through it rarely know which moments will eventually become the chapters everyone studies.

That’s the advantage of looking backward.

The disadvantage is that we don’t get to do that while we’re making the decisions.

Maybe that’s why books like Gegenheimer’s are interesting. They allow us to step outside the timeline for a moment and ask a question humans have been asking forever:

What if?

What if someone made a different decision?

What if a meeting happened that never happened?

What if two historical figures sat across from each other?

What if one event occurred three months earlier—or never occurred at all?

You can argue with the answers.

You can question the assumptions.

You can disagree with the author’s interpretation.

But if a story makes you stop and think about history, leadership, morality, and human behavior a little differently, it has accomplished something.

And that’s what I found particularly interesting about my conversation with Jon A. Gegenheimer.

It wasn’t simply a conversation about books.

It was a conversation about how we understand the past, how we imagine the future, and how much the decisions of individuals can change the course of history.

And yes, somehow, we managed to get there through golf.

That’s a pretty good reason to listen.

The Stories We Carry: Mental Health, Culture, Identity and Resilience with Dr. Nneka Oluoha

by Billy Dees, posted in Books, Commentary, Media, Podcast, Social Media
Dr. Nneka Oluoha

What if the person who appears to have everything together is actually carrying something they have never learned how to talk about?

That question sits at the center of a fascinating conversation between Billy Dees and Dr. Nneka Oluoha, a Nigerian-American physician, novelist, and speaker whose work explores the intersection of mental health, culture, family, immigration, faith, identity, and resilience.

Dr. Oluoha is an internal medicine physician and hospitalist, caring for patients during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. But her experiences in medicine have also given her an unusual window into the stories people carry beneath the surface.

Those stories eventually became part of her work as a novelist.

Beyond the Statistics

One of the most interesting parts of the conversation is the role storytelling can play in helping people understand mental health.

Statistics can tell us how many people experience depression, anxiety, PTSD, or other mental health challenges. But numbers can become abstract. We hear them, process them for a moment, and then move on.

A story is different.

Dr. Oluoha explained that fiction allows readers to accompany a character through an experience. Instead of simply hearing that someone is struggling, we see the world through that person’s eyes. We become familiar with their circumstances, their relationships, their fears, and sometimes the things they cannot bring themselves to say.

That emotional connection can make an idea stick in a way that statistics often cannot.

And that is one of the reasons her novel, Live for Me Nkem, came to life.

When Mental Health Becomes a Family Story

At the center of Live for Me Nkem is Nkem, a Nigerian woman living in America who has struggled with chronic mental illness but has buried those struggles because mental health is not something she believes she can openly discuss.

Eventually, her struggle affects much more than Nkem herself.

Her husband finds himself carrying the family while watching his wife disappear emotionally. Her children see their mother becoming someone they don’t fully understand. The entire family is affected by something that nobody seems prepared to talk about.

That is an important distinction.

Mental health struggles rarely exist in isolation. Even when one person is experiencing the illness, the people around them can experience confusion, fear, frustration, exhaustion, and helplessness.

The story also explores the importance of empathy. Nkem’s husband initially struggles to understand what is happening. As the story develops, however, he begins to recognize that his wife’s behavior isn’t simply a matter of choice or willpower.

And eventually, Nkem learns to communicate what she needs—but she doesn’t do it alone.

She gets help.

Asking for Help Isn’t Always Easy

Billy and Dr. Oluoha also discussed something that sounds simple but can be remarkably difficult: asking for help.

People often create explanations for their struggles.

I just need to be stronger.

I just need some rest.

Things will get better when I make more money.

I just need someone to help with the kids for a few days.

Sometimes those things may genuinely help. But they can also become ways of explaining away a deeper problem.

Dr. Oluoha pointed out that forming a bond of trust between a patient and physician can be critical because people are much more likely to disclose what is really happening when they feel safe doing so.

That observation extends well beyond medicine.

Whether it’s a doctor, family member, friend, counselor, or someone else we trust, the ability to say “I’m not okay” can be the first step toward actually getting better.

Culture Can Shape What We Are Willing to Say

Dr. Oluoha’s Nigerian background adds another important dimension to the conversation.

She described growing up in a culture where certain mental health conditions were often hidden or treated as something to be ashamed of. Conversations that are more common today were once much more difficult to have.

She also discussed the expectations placed on people based on age and gender, particularly expectations placed on women.

Those cultural expectations can become deeply embedded in the way people see themselves—and in what they believe they are allowed to say or do.

But Dr. Oluoha’s experience also illustrates that culture isn’t necessarily something that has to dictate every aspect of a person’s identity.

Identity Isn’t Just One Thing

The conversation took an interesting turn when Billy and Dr. Oluoha discussed identity.

We often talk about identity as though every person has one defining characteristic that explains who they are.

Dr. Oluoha sees it differently.

She describes identity as fluid and made up of many different roles. She is a physician, a mother, a wife, and a Nigerian woman. Which part of that identity becomes most prominent can depend on the circumstances.

At work, she is a physician.

With her children, she is their mother.

In another setting, another part of her identity may become more prominent.

That idea challenges the notion that we have to reduce ourselves—or anyone else—to a single label.

Perhaps that’s particularly important in a world where people are often encouraged to sort themselves and everyone around them into increasingly narrow categories.

A person is rarely just one thing.

The Immigrant Experience Isn’t Always What We Imagine

Dr. Oluoha also shared some of her experience coming from Nigeria to the United States approximately twelve years ago.

Like many immigrants, some of her expectations were shaped by stories, movies, and the experiences of people who had already made the journey.

She imagined America somewhat like New York City: tall buildings, busy people, stable jobs, and plenty of money.

Then she arrived in Southern California.

There were fewer skyscrapers than she expected—and considerably more heat.

Her story is a reminder that the idea of a country can be very different from actually living there. Immigration isn’t simply a physical move from one place to another. It can involve recalibrating expectations, adapting to cultural differences, and figuring out where the various pieces of your identity fit.

Empathy Requires More Than an Opinion

Billy also brought up the difficulty of understanding people whose circumstances are very different from our own.

Homelessness provided one example.

It’s easy to reduce a complicated problem to a slogan: They just need a job.

Or to reduce it to another slogan: It’s all because of housing costs.

Reality, of course, can be considerably more complicated.

People can struggle with a variety of issues that affect their ability to function, maintain relationships, manage finances, or navigate modern society.

That doesn’t mean every explanation is equally valid or that every problem has an easy solution.

It does mean that understanding another person requires something more than immediately assigning blame.

That’s where empathy comes in.

And empathy doesn’t necessarily mean agreeing with someone. It means making an effort to understand what their experience might actually be before deciding that we already know the answer.

Writing as an Act of Resilience

For Dr. Oluoha, writing itself has been a lesson in resilience.

She talked about the realities of writing while working as a physician and raising young children. Early on, she approached writing with a certain discipline, particularly because her demanding schedule meant she had limited opportunities to work on her manuscript.

But eventually she realized something important: writing was supposed to be a source of enjoyment and stress relief, not another obligation.

Her advice to aspiring writers was refreshingly practical.

Write about something you genuinely care about. Do the research. Explore lived experiences. Find the best way to tell the story.

And understand that there will be days when you love your story and days when you absolutely hate it.

When that happens, remember why you started.

Sometimes the best thing a writer can do is close the laptop and walk away for a while.

Then come back.

A Conversation About More Than Mental Health

The conversation between Billy Dees and Dr. Nneka Oluoha ultimately reaches well beyond the subject of mental health.

It is about the stories we inherit from our families and cultures.

It’s about the identities we construct.

It’s about immigration and adapting to a new country.

It’s about the expectations we place on ourselves.

It’s about what happens when success becomes so closely tied to our identity that losing a job, money, status, or position feels like losing ourselves.

And perhaps most importantly, it’s about the courage required to admit that we don’t have everything figured out.

Dr. Oluoha’s novel uses fiction to explore those ideas through people rather than statistics. And that may be the most powerful takeaway from the conversation.

We don’t always understand another person’s struggle because someone gives us the right statistic.

Sometimes we understand because someone tells us a story.

And sometimes, in recognizing ourselves—or someone we love—in that story, we finally find the words to ask for help.

Listen to Billy Dees’ conversation with Dr. Nneka Oluoha for a thoughtful discussion about mental health, culture, identity, immigration, empathy, family, and the power of storytelling.

The Power of Imagination – Christopher Kaufman on Music, Fantasy, Creativity and the Future of the Arts

by Billy Dees, posted in Podcast, Books, Media

What happens when a lifelong composer, storyteller, educator, and creator decides to bring music, fantasy, visual art, and narration together into a single artistic experience?

That was one of the central questions explored when Billy Dees welcomed composer and storyteller Christopher Kaufman to the podcast. Kaufman’s work is difficult to place into a single category. His creative life has included composing symphonies and chamber music, performing, teaching, writing fantasy, creating illustrations, producing theatrical works, and developing his ongoing fantasy series, Tales of the Ocean City.

But underneath all of those different forms of expression is one consistent idea: imagination matters.

A Creative Life That Started Early

Kaufman’s relationship with storytelling began when he was a child. He recalls being fascinated by Disney’s The Jungle Book and subsequently creating his own story in which Shere Khan was transformed from a villain into a young tiger seeking revenge against poachers who had killed his family.

That early experiment eventually evolved into illustrated fantasy stories and, later, a much larger imaginative world.

Music became another major part of Kaufman’s life. He attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts during high school, studied the oboe, sang bass solos in Handel’s Messiah, and eventually pursued advanced degrees in music composition. His education ultimately took him to Cornell University, where he studied composition with prominent composers.

The interesting part is that Kaufman never really abandoned the storytelling that had occupied his childhood imagination.

Instead, the two creative worlds eventually merged.

When Music and Story Become One

Kaufman describes a turning point that came when he began recording himself narrating his stories while simultaneously composing the music that accompanied them.

That was when, as he describes it, the project “woke up.”

Rather than treating the music as background material for the story, Kaufman began creating the two together. The result became an artistic form that combines storytelling, narration, symphonic music, and visual imagery.

His Tales of the Ocean City project is now being developed across multiple formats. One approach is what Kaufman calls “video books,” in which illustrated pages move along with his narration and original symphonic music.

He has also created a podcast, The Phantastic Worlds of Christopher Kaufman, which combines episodes of Tales of the Ocean City with interviews, readings, discussions of fantasy literature, and musical soundtracks.

It is an interesting example of how modern technology can allow an artist to combine forms that historically existed separately.

Why Classical Music Still Matters

The conversation also turned toward the place of classical and orchestral music in modern culture.

Dees raised a familiar question: Has the public lost some appreciation for orchestral music?

Kaufman’s answer was that exposure plays an enormous role.

He pointed to the decline of music programs and opportunities for students to encounter different forms of music. In his experience teaching in public schools, students who are initially unfamiliar with classical music can become genuinely engaged once they have the opportunity to experience it.

That observation led to another part of Kaufman’s work: his Phantastic Theater concert series, which is designed to introduce audiences—particularly younger audiences—to new music and the arts through a combination of music, visual art, theater, and storytelling.

His philosophy isn’t necessarily that everyone needs to become a professional musician. Instead, the arts can become another way for people to experience the world.

Are We Losing Our Imagination?

Perhaps the most thought-provoking portion of the interview came when Dees and Kaufman discussed the role of imagination in modern childhood.

Dees recalled growing up watching programs such as The Six Million Dollar Man and then running outside and pretending to be the characters. The technology of the time provided the inspiration, but the rest of the experience happened inside a child’s imagination.

Today, entertainment can provide considerably more of the finished product.

Kaufman believes that this distinction is important. When a story is read, for example, the reader must construct the world internally. When a child creates music, draws a picture, or invents a story, that child is exercising the ability to imagine and create rather than simply consume.

Kaufman compares imagination to a kind of mental muscle. Developing it can have applications well beyond the arts, including science, problem-solving, learning complicated skills, and envisioning possibilities for one’s future.

That doesn’t mean technology is inherently bad. Kaufman acknowledges that modern tools can provide tremendous educational benefits. The concern, instead, is balance.

Finding the Arts as an Adult

One of the most encouraging messages from the conversation was that it is never too late to become creative.

Kaufman teaches students of different ages and believes that people don’t necessarily need to turn their artistic interests into careers. In fact, he often encourages people to approach the arts as a meaningful part of life rather than something that must become a profession.

Music, painting, writing, theater, or other creative activities can simply become hobbies.

For Kaufman, the important thing is to participate—to find other positive, encouraging people who are interested in creating and allow the creative process to become part of everyday life.

He also describes the physical and emotional experience of making music, particularly when playing an instrument such as the cello. The experience involves the senses, emotions, intellect, and imagination simultaneously.

That combination, he argues, is part of what makes the arts uniquely human.

Fantasy Isn’t Just Escapism

Kaufman’s love of fantasy literature also provided an important perspective.

He discusses author Lloyd Alexander, particularly The Chronicles of Prydain, as a major influence. What Kaufman finds particularly powerful about Alexander’s work is the depth of its emotional content. Writing for younger audiences, Alexander didn’t necessarily make his themes smaller or simpler. Instead, the emotional stakes could become larger and more powerful.

Kaufman sees fantasy as much more than an escape from reality.

Fantasy can actually provide a different way of examining reality.

Characters, creatures, imaginary worlds, and heroic quests can become metaphors for the struggles people experience in their own lives. The courage of a fictional character can inspire courage in the reader. A character facing an impossible challenge can give someone a different perspective on a challenge in their own life.

In that sense, fantasy becomes a tool for understanding the human experience.

When Technology Starts Thinking for Us

The discussion eventually moved into one of the most relevant questions of the interview: artificial intelligence.

Dees expressed concern that the greatest danger of AI may not be some dramatic scenario in which machines suddenly take over the world. Instead, the more subtle danger may be people gradually allowing technology to replace their own thinking.

Kaufman sees similar concerns among young people. He described seeing students rely heavily on AI for schoolwork and suggested that excessive dependence can interfere with reading, thinking, learning, and intellectual development.

At the same time, Kaufman makes an important distinction between technology as a tool and technology as a substitute for human creativity.

He compares today’s digital tools with earlier technological advances. Composers once had to copy orchestral parts by hand. The Xerox machine made that process easier. Today, Kaufman uses software such as Sibelius to produce scores rather than writing every part by hand.

The technology assists with the mechanics.

It doesn’t compose the music for him.

That distinction may be at the heart of the AI conversation.

Technology can make creative work easier without necessarily becoming the creator.

The Human Need to Create

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the conversation between Billy Dees and Christopher Kaufman is that creativity isn’t merely entertainment.

It is part of how human beings understand themselves and the world around them.

Music teaches people to listen. Writing teaches people to imagine. Painting teaches people to see. Storytelling allows people to explore ideas and emotions from different perspectives. Fantasy can provide a safe environment for confronting enormous questions about courage, morality, loss, friendship, and purpose.

And perhaps most importantly, creating something requires participation.

In an increasingly digital world where more and more experiences are delivered to us fully formed, Kaufman’s message is a reminder to leave some room for the imagination.

Read the book instead of watching the adaptation.

Pick up an instrument.

Draw something.

Write a story.

Listen to music you don’t immediately understand.

Or simply look at a cracked parking lot and imagine the forest that might have been there.

The point isn’t necessarily to become an artist.

The point is to keep exercising the part of ourselves that can imagine what isn’t there yet.

That may be one of the most important creative abilities we have.

Christopher Kaufman’s work brings that idea together through Tales of the Ocean City, his music, his storytelling, his teaching, and his ongoing exploration of what happens when different art forms meet. His conversation with Billy Dees ultimately becomes something larger than a discussion about fantasy or classical music.

It’s a conversation about what makes us human—and what we risk losing when we stop creating.

Truth, Free Speech, and the Search for Common Ground: My Conversation with Joel Rakow

by Billy Dees, posted in Books, Media, Podcast, Social Media

I recently had a fascinating conversation with Joel Rakow, author of Life in Woke America: A Family’s Story of Truth and Betrayal Under Fire.

This discussion may come in a little hot for some people’s taste but that is okay, we do that here. Our discussion covered some pretty big topics: free speech, censorship, political polarization, China, the Constitution, and what happens when institutions begin deciding which ideas are acceptable and which ones should be pushed aside. Whatever your political perspective, I think these are conversations worth having because the questions surrounding truth and free expression affect all of us.

One of the most interesting parts of our conversation centered on the COVID-19 pandemic and the way information was handled during those early years. I told Joel that I could understand why political leaders initially relied heavily on medical experts during a crisis. When something potentially catastrophic is happening, nobody wants to ignore legitimate scientific advice. But as time went on, I believe it became increasingly difficult to separate public-health decisions from politics. Joel described a similar turning point for himself, particularly as he watched information and opinions that challenged the prevailing consensus get dismissed or attacked. For both of us, the larger issue wasn’t necessarily whether every controversial theory was correct. It was whether people should be allowed to ask questions and examine competing information without being silenced.

That idea of censorship became an important part of our discussion of Joel’s book. The novel is a work of fiction inspired by real events, including the discovery of a Chinese biological laboratory in California that became the subject of a congressional investigation. Joel uses that premise to tell a much broader story about a soldier, an orphan, institutional pressure, and the consequences of challenging powerful organizations. He also described what he believes has happened to his own book during the publishing and online distribution process, including what he calls “shadow banning.” His concern is that censorship doesn’t always look like someone explicitly saying “no.” Sometimes, he argues, it looks like a story simply disappearing from view, receiving little attention, or becoming difficult for people and even artificial-intelligence systems to find. Whether every example has an intentional explanation or not, the larger question is certainly worth examining: How do we know what we are not seeing?

We also talked about political movements and the Constitution. I made the point that I don’t think this is exclusively a left-versus-right issue. Both sides of American politics have had periods when movements have gone too far. Good intentions can produce bad outcomes, particularly when people become so convinced of their own righteousness that they stop listening to anyone who disagrees with them. Joel’s response was to focus on the Constitution as a framework for evaluating government and political power. That led to one of the more intriguing ideas of our conversation: his development of what he calls the Liberty Scorecard, an AI-based concept designed to examine government officials, candidates, institutions, and even cultural products according to constitutional principles. The goal, as Joel explained it, is to move beyond partisan opinion and give people another tool for evaluating whether actions and policies align with constitutional values.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from my conversation with Joel Rakow is that we are living in an era when everyone has a voice, but that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone has access to the same information. Social media and artificial intelligence have dramatically changed who gets to participate in public conversations. That can be both empowering and dangerous. We have more information available to us than at any other point in history, yet we also have more opportunities to be isolated inside information bubbles that reinforce what we already believe. For me, the answer isn’t to silence opposing viewpoints. It’s the opposite. We need more open discussion, more questioning, and more willingness to hear ideas we may strongly disagree with. Truth doesn’t need protection from questions. If something is true, it should be able to withstand scrutiny. That was one of the central themes of my conversation with Joel, and it’s a subject I believe deserves considerably more discussion.

From Corporate Executive to Storyteller: Angela Page on Historical Fiction, Reinvention, and Preserving History

by Billy Dees, posted in Books, Media, Podcast

What happens when a successful corporate executive decides to pursue a lifelong creative passion? For author and filmmaker Angela Page, the answer is a remarkable second act built around storytelling, history, and perseverance.

Angela Page

On this episode of The Billy Dees Podcast, Angela Page shares the fascinating journey that took her from managing multinational corporate collections for companies like Microsoft, Siemens, and Honeywell to writing award-winning films and historical fiction. Along the way, she offers thoughtful insights into creativity, reinvention, World War II history, and the evolving entertainment industry.

Bringing Family History to Life

At the center of the conversation is Angela’s latest novel, Enrico G., a historical fiction work inspired by the extraordinary life of her great-grandfather. Far more than a family memoir, the novel explores decades of Italian history, spanning the country’s unification, massive waves of immigration, both World Wars, and the rise and fall of Benito Mussolini.

Angela explains that historical fiction allows writers to weave documented events together with imaginative storytelling, creating narratives that make history more accessible and emotionally engaging. Her meticulous research uncovered ship manifests, historical records, and wartime accounts that helped reconstruct her ancestor’s incredible life as a chef who crossed the Atlantic sixteen times before ultimately returning to Italy during one of the country’s most turbulent periods.

Rather than simply recounting historical events, Angela paints a vivid picture of how ordinary families experienced extraordinary moments in history.

The Importance of Remembering History

One of the interview’s most compelling discussions centers on historical awareness—or, in many cases, the lack of it.

Billy and Angela reflect on how many people today possess only a surface-level understanding of World War II and the events that shaped modern Europe. Angela discusses little-known chapters of Italian history, including Mussolini’s arrest, imprisonment, and dramatic rescue by German forces, explaining how these events directly intersected with her own family’s experiences.

The conversation expands into a thoughtful discussion about why preserving these stories matters. As the generation that lived through World War II continues to disappear, firsthand accounts become increasingly rare. Historical fiction, Angela argues, can serve as a powerful bridge between documented history and contemporary audiences who may never hear those stories firsthand.

Turning Research Into Film

While Enrico G. exists today as a novel, it actually began life as a screenplay.

Angela reveals that she originally envisioned the story as a feature film before being encouraged to develop the intellectual property through a novel first. She now believes the sweeping narrative would be ideally suited for a limited television series, allowing viewers to experience multiple decades of European history through the lens of one remarkable family.

The discussion also explores the realities of independent filmmaking, including international co-productions, film festivals, and the shifting landscape of movie production outside traditional Hollywood studios.

Reinvention After a Successful Career

One of the most inspiring portions of the interview focuses on career reinvention later in life.

After building a successful corporate career, Angela eventually decided to pursue the creative ambitions she had held since her youth. Rather than making an abrupt leap, however, she spent years writing, studying acting, and producing smaller projects while still working full-time.

Her advice is refreshingly practical: don’t wait until retirement to begin pursuing your passion. Instead, start building your second career while you’re still working. That gradual transition gave her both experience and confidence before making the leap into writing and filmmaking full time.

Angela believes many people reach midlife realizing that while they may have built successful careers, they never truly pursued what they loved most. Her story demonstrates that it’s never too late to begin.

Creativity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Billy and Angela also tackle one of today’s hottest topics: artificial intelligence and its impact on writers and filmmakers.

Rather than viewing AI as an outright threat, Angela sees it as a tool that should enhance—not replace—human creativity. She explains that many authors and screenwriters already use AI for brainstorming, organizing ideas, creating summaries, or overcoming small creative roadblocks.

However, she also discusses growing efforts within the publishing community to distinguish human-created work from AI-generated content, emphasizing that authentic storytelling remains rooted in human experience, emotion, and perspective.

Advice for Aspiring Writers

For anyone hoping to write a book, screenplay, or simply tell their own story, Angela offers encouraging advice.

She recommends beginning with the simplest step: write.

Don’t worry about perfection. Capture ideas as they come, whether by typing, handwriting, or recording voice notes. Great stories often begin as small fragments that evolve through revision and feedback.

She also stresses the value of joining writers’ groups, accepting constructive criticism, and developing resilience. Success in publishing and filmmaking rarely comes quickly, but persistence often separates those who eventually succeed from those who give up too soon.

An Inspiring Conversation About Passion and Persistence

Billy Dees’ interview with Angela Page is far more than a discussion about one book. It’s a conversation about preserving history, embracing lifelong learning, adapting to technological change, and having the courage to pursue creative dreams regardless of age.

Whether you’re interested in World War II history, historical fiction, independent filmmaking, or simply looking for inspiration to begin your own creative journey, this episode offers valuable insights and practical wisdom from someone who successfully transformed a lifelong passion into a thriving second career.

For readers and aspiring writers alike, Angela Page reminds us that every family has stories worth telling—and sometimes those stories become the bridge that connects generations while preserving history for the future.

250 Years of American Ventriloquism – More Than Talking Dummies with April Brucker

by Billy Dees, posted in Books, Media, Podcast

Most people think of ventriloquism as a novelty act—a performer with a puppet delivering jokes from a comedy stage. But according to author, comedian, actress, and professional ventriloquist April Brucker, the art form has played a much larger role in American history than most people realize. On this episode of The Billy Dees Podcast, Billy sits down with April to discuss her fascinating new book, 250 Years of American Ventriloquism: How Ventriloquism Influenced American Culture, and the surprising ways ventriloquism has shaped entertainment, broadcasting, politics, and popular culture.

The conversation explores the rich history of ventriloquism, tracing its influence from early American medicine shows and vaudeville stages to the golden age of radio and television. April explains how legendary performers such as Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy helped redefine broadcasting, while later icons like Shari Lewis, Paul Winchell, and Willie Tyler expanded the art form into children’s programming and mainstream entertainment. Along the way, listeners will discover remarkable historical stories, including the groundbreaking career of Richard Potter, one of America’s earliest celebrity entertainers.

The interview also highlights April’s own journey into ventriloquism. From growing up in western Pennsylvania without cable television to becoming a nationally recognized performer appearing on Judge Jerry, My Strange Addiction, and What Would You Do?, she shares how persistence and passion helped build her career. The episode features appearances from her wisecracking puppet Mae Wilson, whose humor demonstrates why puppets often get away with saying things that people cannot. Their exchanges provide some of the funniest moments of the conversation while illustrating the timeless appeal of character comedy.

Billy and April also discuss how artificial intelligence, digital avatars, and emerging technology may influence the future of entertainment. Rather than seeing AI as a threat, April argues that ventriloquists have always embraced innovation while maintaining the uniquely human connection that live performance offers. The discussion touches on the psychology behind puppets, why audiences form emotional connections with them, and why ventriloquism continues to thrive despite changing media landscapes.

Whether you’re a fan of comedy, broadcasting history, live performance, or simply enjoy uncovering overlooked stories from American culture, this episode offers an entertaining and informative conversation filled with humor, history, and unexpected insights. It’s a reminder that some of the most fascinating chapters of American entertainment history come from places few people think to explore—and that a talking dummy might have more to teach us than we ever imagined.

History, Engineering, and Alternative Historical Fiction – Talking World War II with Author Jeff Kildow

by Billy Dees, posted in Books, Podcast
Jeff Kildow

What happens when a lifelong aerospace engineer combines his passion for aviation history with a talent for storytelling? On this episode of The Billy Dees Podcast, Billy sits down with author Jeff Kildow to explore the fascinating intersection of World War II history, military technology, engineering, and historical fiction.

Before becoming an author, Kildow spent more than three decades as a systems engineer with Lockheed Martin after serving in the U.S. Air Force. That unique background gives his writing an authenticity that sets it apart. The conversation begins with his military service and engineering career before naturally transitioning into the incredible technological advancements made during World War II. From the P-51 Mustang and the P-38 Lightning to the rapid development of jet aircraft, Kildow explains why the engineering achievements of the era remain remarkable even by today’s standards.

The discussion also tackles some of history’s most debated topics. Billy and Jeff examine the difficult decisions surrounding the end of World War II, including the use of atomic weapons against Japan, while emphasizing the historical context often missing from modern conversations. They also discuss the tremendous sacrifices made during the war, the realities faced by both Allied and Axis forces, and why understanding history requires more than judging past events through a modern lens.

Listeners will also enjoy hearing about Kildow’s Joel Knight Menace series, an alternate-history thriller featuring a military engineer caught in dangerous Cold War and World War II-era missions. Jeff shares how his engineering background shapes his storytelling, the extensive research required to accurately recreate the technology of the 1940s, and why blending real historical events with compelling fiction creates an entertaining reading experience.

Whether you’re a history enthusiast, aviation buff, military fiction reader, or simply enjoy thoughtful conversations that go beyond the headlines, this episode delivers an engaging mix of historical insight, personal experience, and storytelling. It’s a conversation that reminds us why preserving history—and understanding the remarkable people and technology that shaped it—remains as important as ever.

Jeff’s website.