The Hosts
Sound Engineer: Mark Carey
Chris Storm
Chris Storm loves nothing more than to spend the entire day cooking a special dinner for her family and her twenty-eight nieces and nephews. She believes, at the very end of our lives, when we take a good look back, we will realize that all that really mattered were our relationships. They're the meaning and the joy of life.
Chris has moved around a lot. Sometimes of her own choosing. Some due to professional relocation. She’s lived in seven different cities and traveled to twenty-four countries. She also believes, when there’s nothing new under the sun, and you long for something more, be the change you’re looking for. And that is the reason for the BOOKSTORM Podcast—a deeper dive into best-selling fiction. A closer look at books that matter, books that make a difference in every single readers’ life, long after the last page is turned.
So, why does Chris feel she’s qualified to talk to you about books? Because she loves them. She’s been writing short stories and poetry since she was a little girl. When she retired as President and Founder of Intellsource, Inc, a medical consulting company, she began writing full-time, and somehow convinced three amazing literary agents to represent her. She now has ten completed novels in the Romantic Suspense and Contemporary Romance genres and one non-fiction book, all awaiting a publisher.
In the meantime, Chris knows the surest way rid yourself of your troubles is to go out and help somebody else with theirs. She’s been actively involved as a volunteer for Community Hospice, wherein she helped to maintain dignity and quality of life even in its final moments. She is an active member of the Junior League, purposed to aid the single-mother, head of household, in poverty. She also has volunteered with The Leukemia/Lymphoma Society and Eight Days of Hope, among others. For over three years, she’s been posting a Monday morning inspiration on Facebook to jump-start your very best week ahead.
Chris can’t wait for you to join her on BOOKSTORM, where she hopes you will soon discover: There is no story told that is pure fiction; for everything we think we imagined is simply built upon the reality of what we already know to be true. Her motto: “Read a book, because within those mysterious pages, filled with interesting people and far-away places, you will discover something of you—something lost, something buried, or, maybe, just maybe, something you never knew.”
Website: <http://www.chris-storm.com>
Christen Civiletto
Christen’s roots go right back to her hometown of Niagara Falls, New York. She’s been grounded by her boisterous Italian family, moved by the people of an environmentally devastated city, drawn outdoors by its natural beauty, and inspired to act locally by using the law as the means to effect change.
She experienced a wake-up call after wondering why so many residents of the Falls were dealing with cancer or disease. She began to research the area’s environmental history -- a history marked by greed, deception, illegal dumping, and misplaced patriotism. Those discoveries led to a lot of writing, including Green City Savior (2015), a suspense novel set in Niagara Falls.
In her law practice, she’s part of a team of attorneys that represents Niagara County residents in lawsuits stemming from the historic Love Canal disaster. She also works on cases where the government has passed laws that increase the threat of harm to women and children. Her law degree has enabled her to be a voice for the voiceless.
The themes contained within the pages of fiction are generally grounded in the human experience. In those stories, we find heartbreak, discovery, corruption … and yes, even narratives of hope, redemption, and new beginnings. Through fiction, we can shine a light on wrong choices. We can learn from the past and do better going forward. Everyday heroes – even fictional ones ₋ make a difference. The BOOKSTORM podcast goes deep on those issues!
Christen has also authored non-fiction books and articles relating to law practice. She’s a past writing award finalist, and a current judge for The Eric Hoffer Award for Book and Prose and other contests. She pens a blog entitled “Wild Faith” with Dr. Bernadette Clabeaux. They tackle science, law, and faith: www.Wildfaith.net
Whether Christen is writing, hiking, litigating, raising a family, or teaching, there's one unifying theme to her pursuits: it's the idea of stewardship -- the notion that we’re to care for what’s been entrusted to us. Stewardship of the natural world requires that we use our aptitudes and interests to act. Stewardship requires more than just recycling or reusing. It requires vigilance, gratitude, forgiveness, transparency, non-complacency, and, importantly, accountability. It’s intentional.
Website: <http://www.christenciviletto.com>