The Joe Rooz Show

What happens when a childhood dream takes 60 years to become reality? Tonight, Joe sits down with novelist Anne-Marie Mawhiney to explore creativity, resilience, reinvention, and why it's never too late to pursue a dream. A-M discusses her first two novels, Spindrifts and Spelldrifts, her spontaneous approach to writing as a “pantser,” and her award-winning third novel, Fugitive Rifts, recipient of the 2026 Nautilus Gold Award for Young Adult Fiction. Joe and A-M also discuss how social work influenced her storytelling, the importance of finding hope during difficult times, and practical ways aspiring writers can make room for creativity. A-M Mawhiney Official Website: https://www.ammawhiney.ca/ A-M Mawhiney Contact Page: https://www.ammawhiney.ca/contact Watch / Listen Watch on Rumble: https://rumble.com/JoeRooz ▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@JoeRooz Website: https://joerooz.com Support The Joe Rooz Show & Go Backstage Support The Joe Rooz Show for just $5/month and get access to exclusive content, including The Post Show Show—where Joe returns to the ideas, questions and moments from these conversations that he wasn't quite finished talking about. ️ Patreon: https://patreon.com/joerooz ▶️ Rumble: Click JOIN on The Joe Rooz Show channel Locals: https://joeroozshow.locals.com Special thanks to: Executive Producer Wayne Rankin Executive Producer Rosanna Rankin Executive Producer Carolina Jimenez Executive Producer Angela Wetuski Executive Producer John Seeley Executive Producer Karl Nicosia Want to be a guest on The Joe Rooz Show? Send Joe a message on #PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/joe Check out our partners: PodHome: https://podhome.fm Creative Edge: https://www.creative-edge.services/ Get MasterPeace https://masterpeace.health/Rooz (00:01:42) Introducing Anne Marie Mowini and her writing path (00:03:20) Knowing she wanted to be an author at age eight (00:08:24) How social work and academia shaped her fiction (00:11:21) Writing through lockdown and discovering her first novel (00:14:19) Plotter or pantser and building stories by instinct (00:17:52) Retirement plans, travel, and a new creative chapter (00:19:49) From manuscript to publication with Friesen Press (00:22:09) Human nature, trauma, and compassion in communities (00:26:52) Why fiction can reach readers academic writing cannot (00:28:45) Fugitive Rifts and four teens finding common ground (00:34:02) Developing character arcs and layering in trauma (00:40:39) Near future fiction, climate danger, and 2028 (00:42:38) Winning the Nautilus Gold Award (00:45:37) The book's bigger consequences and helping the unhoused (00:47:45) Why it is never too late to start writing (00:51:19) Respect for Finland's housing first approach (00:58:47) Joe's closing reflections on timing and impact - Joe "Rooz" Russiello https://www.joerooz.com/support https://www.joerooz.com

What do you do when life throws you into a crisis beyond your control? Do you panic, worry, and try to fix everything yourself—or do you trust God? On today's Sunday Bible Study, we return to Daniel 6 and explore the practical lessons behind Daniel's experience in the lions' den. Through Scripture, personal stories, and everyday examples, Joe examines what it means to commit our problems to the Lord, keep our minds focused on Him, and accept what He permits without allowing fear to dictate our response. Trusting God doesn't mean doing nothing. It means remaining faithful, fulfilling our responsibilities, and trusting Him with the outcome. The lions in our lives don't always have four legs and sharp teeth. But the God who shut their mouths is still the same God today. Watch / Listen Watch on Rumble: https://rumble.com/JoeRooz ▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@JoeRooz Website: https://joerooz.com Support The Joe Rooz Show & Go Backstage Support The Joe Rooz Show for just $5/month and get access to exclusive content, including The Post Show Show—where Joe returns to the ideas, questions and moments from these conversations that he wasn't quite finished talking about. ️ Patreon: https://patreon.com/joerooz ▶️ Rumble: Click JOIN on The Joe Rooz Show channel Locals: https://joeroozshow.locals.com Special thanks to: Executive Producer Wayne Rankin Executive Producer Rosanna Rankin Executive Producer Carolina Jimenez Executive Producer Angela Wetuski Executive Producer John Seeley Executive Producer Karl Nicosia Want to be a guest on The Joe Rooz Show? Send Joe a message on #PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/joe Check out our partners: PodHome: https://podhome.fm Creative Edge: https://www.creative-edge.services/ Get MasterPeace https://masterpeace.health/Rooz (00:45) Daniel in the Lions' Den and Innocency Found (04:06) Committing the Crisis to the Lord (09:13) Learning to Trust God Like a Child (13:09) Cast Thy Burden Upon the Lord (15:13) Occupy Your Mind With the Lord (19:46) Accepting What God Has Permitted (24:06) Letting Go of Worry in Daily Troubles (27:48) Thanking God for the Crisis (34:43) It Is the Lord, Let Him Do What Seemeth Good (36:51) Remain Calm and Trust in the Lord (42:56) George Whitfield and Trusting God in a Crisis (47:26) Closing Prayer for Those Facing Trials - Joe "Rooz" Russiello https://www.joerooz.com/support https://www.joerooz.com

Addiction doesn't just affect the person struggling. It can devastate families, destroy relationships, and leave consequences that last for years. Matt Grace, author of God Doesn't Relapse, joins Joe for a candid conversation about addiction, family enabling, accountability, faith, and recovery. From drugs and alcohol to pornography and other destructive behaviors, they explore the difficult realities of addiction, the importance of boundaries, and why lasting recovery requires more than simply getting sober. An unfiltered conversation about consequences, personal responsibility, and rebuilding a life through structure, service, and grace. Viewer/Listener Discretion Advised: Mature discussions of substance abuse, pornography, sexual behavior, family trauma, and suicidal thoughts. Matt Grace's book: https://booklaunch.mattgrace.com/ Publisher: https://www.simonandschuster.biz/books/God-Doesnt-Relapse/Matt-Grace/9781637635506 Watch / Listen Watch on Rumble: https://rumble.com/JoeRooz ▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@JoeRooz Website: https://joerooz.com Support The Joe Rooz Show & Go Backstage Support The Joe Rooz Show for just $5/month and get access to exclusive content, including The Post Show Show—where Joe returns to the ideas, questions and moments from these conversations that he wasn't quite finished talking about. ️ Patreon: https://patreon.com/joerooz ▶️ Rumble: Click JOIN on The Joe Rooz Show channel Locals: https://joeroozshow.locals.com Special thanks to: Executive Producer Wayne Rankin Executive Producer Rosanna Rankin Executive Producer Carolina Jimenez Executive Producer Angela Wetuski Executive Producer John Seeley Executive Producer Karl Nicosia Want to be a guest on The Joe Rooz Show? Send Joe a message on #PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/joe Check out our partners: PodHome: https://podhome.fm Creative Edge: https://www.creative-edge.services/ Get MasterPeace https://masterpeace.health/Rooz (00:02:00) Why Matt Told His Story Without Playing the Victim (00:05:42) Crossing the Line Into Crime and Early Addiction (00:07:36) A Troubled Childhood and Harmful Therapy (00:11:25) Why He Wrote God Doesn't Relapse (00:14:11) Faith, Recovery, and Finding a Higher Purpose (00:17:40) Sex Addiction, Pornography, and Distorted Intimacy (00:25:20) Enabling, Boundaries, and Family Toxicity (00:34:04) What Families and Recovery Programs Get Wrong (00:41:12) A Desperate Prayer and a Spiritual Turning Point (00:49:36) Medication, the Soul, and Long Term Change (00:51:52) Advice to His Younger Self and Why Men Need Mentors (01:01:09) Joe's Closing Reflections on Accountability and Grace - Joe "Rooz" Russiello https://www.joerooz.com/support https://www.joerooz.com

Tonight, I sit back down with returning guest John P. David to talk about his new thriller, The Pawn, the second book in his Lemaster Files series. We get into how the series has evolved since The Bystander, why book two felt different to write, how his background in crisis communications continues to shape his fiction, and why stories about media, reputation, and public perception still matter so much. John also shares how real headlines, real-world chaos, and even a few painfully real personal moments have found their way into his books. Beyond the novels themselves, our conversation opens up into a broader discussion about truth, perception, social media, citizen journalism, surveillance, and the strange tradeoffs between convenience and privacy. We also talk about the books and shows John loves, what inspires his storytelling, and what readers can expect as he heads toward book three, The Pretender. If you enjoy thrillers rooted in reality and conversations about how narratives get built in the modern world, this one is for you. John David (author page): https://tulepublishing.com/authors/john-david/ John David (Website): https://davidpr.com The Lemaster Files series: https://tulepublishing.com/series/the-lemaster-files/ The Bystander by John David: https://tulepublishing.com/books/the-bystander/ The Pawn by John David: https://tulepublishing.com/books/the-pawn/ Watch / Listen Watch on Rumble: https://rumble.com/JoeRooz ▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@JoeRooz Website: https://joerooz.com Support The Joe Rooz Show & Go Backstage Support The Joe Rooz Show for just $5/month and get access to exclusive content, including The Post Show Show—where Joe returns to the ideas, questions and moments from these conversations that he wasn't quite finished talking about. ️ Patreon: https://patreon.com/joerooz ▶️ Rumble: Click JOIN on The Joe Rooz Show channel Locals: https://joeroozshow.locals.com Special thanks to: Executive Producer Wayne Rankin Executive Producer Rosanna Rankin Executive Producer Carolina Jimenez Executive Producer Angela Wetuski Executive Producer John Seeley Executive Producer Karl Nicosia Want to be a guest on The Joe Rooz Show? Send Joe a message on #PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/joe Check out our partners: PodHome: https://podhome.fm Creative Edge: https://www.creative-edge.services/ Get MasterPeace https://masterpeace.health/Rooz (00:01:38) Joe welcomes novelist John P. David back (00:02:55) From debut author to building a book series (00:06:39) How John writes and what readers loved most (00:09:11) The Pawn premise and the story behind the title (00:13:38) How the Le Master Files became a series (00:15:45) Real headlines that inspired The Pawn (00:22:26) Media narratives, perception, and truth (00:34:05) Surveillance, privacy, and modern convenience (00:46:02) Rapid fire questions on coffee, bourbon, and books (00:55:41) Stranger than fiction stories and final reflections (01:01:13) Where to find John's books and Joe's closing thoughts - Joe "Rooz" Russiello https://www.joerooz.com/support https://www.joerooz.com

Tonight, I welcome Bob Martin for what promises to be one of those conversations that goes wherever it wants to go—and perhaps somewhere deeper than the show prep could ever anticipate. We'll explore Bob's remarkable journey through law, social work, meditation, teaching, and cultural commentary, and how those experiences have shaped his understanding of human nature. From courtroom advocacy to mindfulness, Bob will introduce us to the I Ching, Taoist philosophy, and the idea of working with the flow of life rather than constantly fighting against it. We'll examine how timing, awareness, and the ability to use the least amount of force to accomplish the most good can influence the way we navigate life's challenges. We'll also explore Christianity, Buddhism, compassion, service, and what it truly means to live out our beliefs. Bob will share his evolving spiritual journey, the common ground he sees between Taoist and Christian thought, and why love, humility, and caring for others remain central to his philosophy. Expect a curious, candid, unscripted conversation that challenges assumptions, explores differing perspectives, and tackles the big questions we all wrestle with. Connect with Bob Martin: The Flow Media: https://theflowmedia.com Substack: https://iambobmartin.substack.com The Flow Podcast: https://podcastbobm.podbean.com/ Books: https://authorbobmartin.com/ Watch / Listen Watch on Rumble: https://rumble.com/JoeRooz ▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@JoeRooz Website: https://joerooz.com Support The Joe Rooz Show & Go Backstage Support The Joe Rooz Show for just $5/month and get access to exclusive content, including The Post Show Show—where Joe returns to the ideas, questions and moments from these conversations that he wasn't quite finished talking about. ️ Patreon: https://patreon.com/joerooz ▶️ Rumble: Click JOIN on The Joe Rooz Show channel Locals: https://joeroozshow.locals.com Special thanks to: Executive Producer Wayne Rankin Executive Producer Rosanna Rankin Executive Producer Carolina Jimenez Executive Producer Angela Wetuski Executive Producer John Seeley Executive Producer Karl Nicosia Want to be a guest on The Joe Rooz Show? Send Joe a message on #PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/joe Check out our partners: PodHome: https://podhome.fm Creative Edge: https://www.creative-edge.services/ Get MasterPeace https://masterpeace.health/Rooz (00:01:21) Joe welcomes Bob Martin to the show (00:03:43) New York roots, teams, and a family sports story (00:09:58) Law, social work, and standing up for people (00:17:44) From Miami law to Taoist study with Master Ni (00:24:36) Teaching meditation and helping students change (00:26:13) The Flow, the I Ching, and living with timing (00:40:29) Truth, authenticity, and what is actually helpful (00:46:13) Christianity, Buddhism, and questions of faith (01:03:01) Where to find Bob Martin and closing thoughts - Joe "Rooz" Russiello https://www.joerooz.com/support https://www.joerooz.com