Uncaged welcomes Freddy Cruz

Welcome to Uncaged! Your latest release is called They Canceled the DJ, can you tell readers more about this book? What are you working on now that you can tell us about?

They Canceled the DJ is inspired by actual events and follows the story of a radio personality’s not-so-stellar moments. An incident with a listener goes viral, then he ends up scoring a date with said listener, THEN…they hit it off. But just when things start to go right, she ditches him on-stage at a concert for a world famous pop star. And his quest for revenge ensues.

As for current projects, I’m polishing up my 2022 release. A psychological thriller of sorts. It centers around two unsavory individuals, one of whom is a failed radio personality turned podcaster having an affair with the other’s mom. That’s all I can say for now.

You are also a radio host and host a podcast, can you tell us more about that?

I left pop radio after more than twenty years. Needed a change. My new podcast is called Freddy’s Huge ASK Podcast. Twice a week, I’ll speak with some of the coolest people in the world. Former Delta Force veteran turned author Brad Taylor, Pulitzer Prize winner and author Stephen Hunter, CEOs, entrepreneurs, life coaches, and more. Think of this as TED meets AV Club meets Masterclass meets Book Club.

What is the most difficult scene for you to write? What is the easiest?

The final chapter went through several iterations before getting the proverbial chef’s kiss. The concert scene in chapter 20 was the easiest and required very little editing.

Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? Has there been a character that’s been hard to write about?

I really enjoyed creating AC’s character because he’s so REAL. Perfectly imperfect. He’s not necessarily good or bad. He’s just a regular guy who, like all of us, is capable of making terrible decisions.

The character I had the most trouble with was Bobbi. But she eventually came to life.

Read the rest of the interview below in the issue of Uncaged Book Reviews.

Freddy Cruz is a Houston area media personality, last heard on the Marconi Award winning 104.1 KRBE. He is also an author, philanthropist, lover of new music and old books, and the host of the Book This with Freddy Cruz podcast. Fueled by coffee, laughter, a shared delight in his community, and love for his family,

Freddy often marvels at his luck in being able to spend his days filling the buckets of all the things he values most in life.

thefreddycruz.com

They Canceled the DJ
Freddy Cruz
Suspense

When a hotheaded DJ is caught in a viral web of vengeance, it’s unlikely he’ll find the wisdom to quiet his inner critic.

Radio jock Aubrey Cortes cares way too much about what others think. After he humiliates himself in front of a listener-turned-love interest, he’s horrified when the explosive episode goes viral. But, after the disaster turns into a first date, he celebrates with a barrage of search-and-destroy tweets aimed at torpedoing his online critics.

Thrilled when his newfound viral fame lands him a nationally syndicated show, he uses his connections to arrange a backstage pass to meet his new squeeze’s legendary musical idol.

Cue mayhem.

Aubrey’s heart is cruelly betrayed on centerstage, and blows up big time. Again.

And now he wants payback.

Can Aubrey eat humble pie and take a Zen lesson or three, or will he go down in a fiery fit of revenge?

Excerpt

Since the turn of the century, fans have taken the meaning of “fanatic” to a whole new level. Gone are the days of a simple band shirt and tour poster. Those are for beginners. Artists who only go gold. And coffee mugs, tumblers, and smartphone cases? Those are for no-name SoundCloud artists who scored a two-hundred-dollar check in exchange for permission to use a clip of their song in a commercial for some dude’s used car lot, starring the Used Car Lot Dude’s daughter with that annoying kid lisp. Real fans showcase their diehard support with canvas paintings using blood and sculptures using the ashes of a dead loved one.

And nobody rocks the merch game stronger than River Bronswell, the highest-selling artist of all time. Shirts, hoodies, jackets? He’s got the best designs. But those are for fake fans, the ones who can only name his radio hits. Any real River Bronswell fan has all the apparel, plus his complete line of talking dolls that sing and speak twenty different languages, including Aborigine. They have also bought his virtual reality games, augmented reality games, and vinyl dipped in twenty-four-karat gold, even though they have no idea what a record player is. They drink River-brand vodka, tequila, and River Tickler whisky gets his fans drunk enough at shows to pay two hundred dollars for a limited edition, three-dimensional photo book.

Bobbi opens the door and ushers me into her townhome. She has everything. She waves a hand in the direction of framed magazine covers and articles featuring her home—in more languages than I can count. Fan art, created by her, lines an entire wall. Large pieces, small pieces. Art on canvas. Sketches in black and white. When guys show up to a love interest’s home for the first time, they show up with a gift. Flowers, something. Anything. What I have seen in Bobbi’s home makes me glad I have opted for something less tangible. It may cement my place in her heart.

Giant text covers an entire side of the hallway that leads to her apartment. It reads, “Mr. Bronswell makes my heart swell.” The “Bronswell” and “heart” are red, the other words are black. The letters resemble what a serial killer would use in a note to a future victim.

“This is…interesting,” I say with my mouth gaped open, pondering the fact that the authorities would consider her a person of interest if River ever turned up missing. For a split second, I consider rescinding my surprise. What she won’t know won’t hurt her. Or in this case, River.

Across the hall hangs a stained-glass image of River as a saint. Next to it, a Renaissance-inspired painting depicting River as a Roman emperor. I clear my throat and raise my chin, embracing the role of museum curator. “And here we have, the Marcus Aurelius of Pop Music, benevolent ruler of hearts across the Rivertopian Empire,” I say with a horrible accent.

“Not much, but it makes me happy,” says Bobbi, fluffing the River pillows and throw blankets on her couch. “Some might say I have an obsession.”

Uncaged welcomes V.P. Morris

Welcome to Uncaged! Your newest book, Dead Ringer will release April 7. Can you tell readers more about this book?

Thanks for having me! Dead Ringer is a dark thriller following Taylor Callahan, a young woman with a troubled past and criminal record. When she accidentally causes the death of a teen girl who looks just like her, Taylor takes over her life to give herself a fresh start. But soon she comes face to face with the deadly secrets the girl’s family is hiding and she must try to outwit them in order to survive.

What is the most difficult scene for you to write? What is the easiest?

There is a flashback scene where Taylor remembers her mother throwing her out of the house at the age of sixteen. It was hard for me to write about someone being so cruel to their own child, but it serves as a catalyst for many things that happen over the course of Taylor’s life.

The easiest scene to write was the beginning when Taylor takes over Jamie’s identity. Taylor has survived on the streets by committing low level crimes. It was fun to have her use her street smarts to pull off a much bigger con.

Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? Has there been a character that’s been hard to write about?

I’ve really enjoyed writing Taylor’s character. This was the first full length manuscript I wrote after college and I became very attached and invested in her. When I would take a break while writing the book, I would even miss her like she was a real person I know.

Her partner-in-crime, Ivan has an abusive father. I didn’t enjoy writing him being disrespectful and neglectful of his own teenage son.

How do you come up with the title to your books?

Some come to me in a flash and others I have to think about for weeks or months before I get the right title. Dead Ringer came to me in an instant. I saw the title with my main character’s appearance and personality, and I knew I had to put it paper.

I picked the title because it is a bit ominous with the word “dead” in it. Plus, it plays on the old folktales about bad things befalling you when you meet your doppelganger which certainly happens to the girls in this novel when they meet the person who looks just like them.

Read the rest of the interview in the issue below.

V.P. Morris is an award-winning thriller and horror writer and podcast host. Her interest in criminal psychology inspired both of her novels Dead Ringer and ShadowCast.

When she isn’t writing or reading, she is cooking healthy meals, watching scary movies, and spending time with her husband and son.

vpmorris.com

Dead Ringer
V.P. Morris
Thriller

Small-time criminal, Taylor Callahan, dreams of starting her life over. When she inadvertently causes the death of a teenage girl who looks just like her, she does the only thing she can do: she takes over the dead girl’s life.

Now, twenty-one-year-old Taylor must navigate the ins and outs of living with the MacKenzies, the safe and loving suburban family of the dead teen girl. By using her street-smarts, fast-thinking, and the help of her best friend and partner in crime, Ivan, she works to keep her true identity a secret while fighting the demons of her past. Just as Taylor thinks she has made a new life for herself with the MacKenzies, she learns that this wholesome family hides a twisted and deadly secret.

Excerpt

I gathered the strength to turn around and stand up. In front of me, I saw each of the girls lying flat across the ground. Their blood soaking through their clothes into the wooden planks of the pier. My heart pounded as I knew it would have been me lying dead on the ground if Zeke had seen me first instead of Jamie.

But somewhere between my horror and fear, I could see this tragic event as an opportunity for me.
Ivan came running up from the parking lot, his eye swollen from Zeke’s fist. “Taylor, I’m sorry.” His voice was shaking. “He had a gun and told me he was going to kill us both if I didn’t say where you were and that he just wanted to talk to you. I’m so sorry,” he said as he pulled me into a hug.

I hugged him back even though I was pissed at him for cracking so easily.

I pulled myself away from his hold.

“What do we do about the girls?” he asked, wiping a tear away from his good eye.

He looked at the bodies then knelt down by Jamie. The bullet blasted through her eye socket, causing the right side of her face and back of her head to explode with blood and gore.

“Holy shit, Taylor, I feel sick.” Ivan knelt on the floor and started dry-heaving. He took a breath and calmed himself down before asking, “Why did he even bother to kill them when he was after you?”

“This girl, Jamie. She looks exactly like me. That’s why he killed her, he thought I was her.”

Just to be sure, I felt for her pulse. Nothing. The same with the other two girls.

Ivan crossed his arms across his chest. “Looked exactly like you? I don’t believe it.”

I reached into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out an iPhone with a bright orange case coated with stick-on jewels and a pink leather wallet with a plastic display area for an ID. I handed him her driver’s license.

“Damn, you’re right. She could be your twin.” But the sight of three dead bodies started to overwhelm Ivan. He began breathing heavily and shaking. “What do we do? Should we call the police? They shouldn’t just be left here. Who knows the next time someone will be out here?”

“You’re right but—” I flipped through her wallet and found her school photo ID. The colorful logo of a purple and yellow bear mascot was on the side.

Here’s my chance, I thought. I can go back to high school and start over. When opportunity knocks, I might as well answer the door.

I stood up and threw my jacket and shirt to the ground.

“Hey, what the Hell are you doing?” Ivan shouted.

“Switching places.”

Welcome to Uncaged! Your newest book, God’s Ponzi is a financial thriller which releases on March 3rd. Can you tell readers more about this book?

Gregory Portent takes you, the reader, on a wild scheme to defraud. And you’re going to love it. Gregory is not your typical Ponzi schemer. He created this Ponzi scheme in order to get revenge against evil lawyers and other nasty white collar criminals for destroying his best friend. All is under control with the help of artificial intelligence, until — an unexpected black swan event in the market. Think Silicon Valley meets the Wolf of Wall Street.

What is the most difficult scene for you to write? What is the easiest?

There’s a scene toward the end, where the leader of the scheme, Gregory Portent, is at the precipice of facing prison or his own murder, if he doesn’t come up with millions of dollars to fill the impending collapse if he doesn’t fill the financial hole in the Ponzi scheme. Gregory makes a series of calls on his computer to all his friends on his team, while he’s waiting for the outcome of his last “throw of the dice,” to save himself. The talks paid homage to each of them. Gregory confesses his flaws and no matter what the outcome of the scheme, he was a better person for knowing them. It’s a very cathartic. We should all participate in this act as needed, but at least once in our lives. But his confessions of vulnerability and fallibility were emotionally hard to write.

The easier and fun parts to write were the schemes prior to the Ponzi scheme. It was fun to create and build the schemes that served as the foundation for the ultimate Ponzi scheme Gregory and his team started and had to maintain.

Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? Has there been a character that’s been hard to write about?

One character is named Jeffrey Gogolas, nicknamed, “Googol.” He is a law and technology professor at M.I.T. He is a quiet hero. He will be there when you need him because he promised he would be there.

Writers are actors in some sense, in that we have to tap into the darkness when a character takes us to that place. There are dark corners in God’s Ponzi.

How do you come up with the title to your books?

Titles are fun. I enjoy naming chapters too. My formula for coming up with a title? I ask: What is this novel about; what will intrigue?

What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?

I live in Florida, the most “Ponzi” place on the planet. When lawyers that I’ve worked with participated in one of the largest Ponzi schemes in the country, I was disappointed, but I also knew there was a novel buried in this tragedy.

Read the rest of the interview in the issue below

Robert Buschel has a storied career as a trial lawyer. His cases compel him to dive deep into politics, medicine, and computer science. Although Robert writes to live, not to re-live, he filters and refines the stories of the world around him for a never-ending supply of fresh tales for his readers to enjoy.

robertbuschel.com

God’s Ponzi
Robert Buschel
Financial Thriller

Gregory Portent demands revenge. Revenge is best served cold and when the prey begs to be the target. With his skills and charisma he lures them in easy—using an investment bank to launch a Ponzi scheme. Gregory Portent has one advantage—artificial intelligence. At a critical point, he loses his way. A ‘black swan’ event follows and the Ponzi scheme borders on the brink of collapse. It’s not about revenge anymore; it’s about survival. Greedy lawyers, the FBI, and international syndicates pursue him. Greg must go on the run. Everyone he cares about is now in danger. He must win. The strange thing? You’ll be rooting for him the whole time. Will he win big and get his vengeance? Robert Buschel proves beyond a reasonable doubt, he is a rising storyteller. Pick up God’s Ponzi and unlock the secret behind the world’s most diabolical Ponzi scheme.

Excerpt

PROLOGUE

Suppose your friend’s girlfriend is a stripper. Would you go to the gentleman’s club and pay her for a lap dance? Is that wrong? It’s your good friend’s friend. On the other hand, stripping is her job. And if it’s something she’s willing to do for a stranger, why’s it wrong if she does it for you? What if she’s really good and you pay her extra? You know, tip her well. Money isn’t the issue? Fine. What if you then see her at her work all the time and it becomes a regular thing? What if because you’re friends with her friend, she considers you a friend, and now she feels there’s nothing wrong with a little extra in the V.I.P. room because you won’t talk, and she’s comfortable with you? You’re now her friend, and it’s your birthday – and you’ve already seen her naked nearly a hundred times and wondered what it would be like to touch her. Any of this wrong? Before today, I would have been able to make the right decision, the ethical decision, even before my private naughty orgasm released a rush of regret to my anterior cingulate cortex.

People who have the luxury of doing the right thing for the right reasons would disapprove of what I’ve been doing for the past several years -committing crimes. But I’ve been committing these crimes for the right reasons. When I’m done, the world will be in a better place, and I’ll have my satisfaction – my revenge. Revenge for me, turned into a blood oath. But the problems erupted quickly because revenge made me myopic. Yesterday, I was content to act like a criminal. Before then, I wouldn’t have had a problem answering those ethics questions. No, it’s not complicated either. It’s simple. It was simple for me and it’s simple for the world. People just like to make the answers complicated in order to justify their bad behavior. Before, I wouldn’t have even gone into the club. I never would have allowed myself to be tempted to make the wrong move. Because even though my friend ‘s girl would take her clothes off and grind up against other sleazy, horny toads if he or she had the money, the point is – that’s my friend’s girl, and I wouldn’t disrespect my friend.

Others may know what she looks like naked, what she feels like, and what it’s like to pay to look at her. Hell, these strippers’ boyfriends or managers, have to pay the girl’s rent so they can see them naked. The world of other seedy men could know these things – but I shouldn ‘t. I needed to know everything else. I needed to know who was willing to violate that friendship. Who was ethical and who was a lying, unscrupulous piece of shit. Others have called me a sophisticated and treacherous Machiavellian. Pick the blue pill or the red pilJ.2 But it’s simple. I already know what you’re going to say, “You picked the blue pill.” Because when the shit goes down, the FBI, SEC, IRS, or some politically-motivated state prosecutor who wants to become a judge, throws around some accusations, “queen for a day” immunity letters, or just plain want to snap the handcuffs on the rare members of the privileged investment class, for some sexy headlines and a perp walk3 – you want to be able to portray yourself as living in the believable reality of blissful ignorance. You didn’t know a thing. You would never do something like that. You’re moral. World, hear me! Alright, you made four-hundred-percent on your money in ninety-days, but – really, I didn ‘ t know something criminal was going on.

So what’s my problem? Well, I’m part of a criminal enterprise – a Ponzi scheme; and I hold a leadership position in that enterprise. The enterprise has gone international. It’s big and ongoing – worth billions. I wanted to work faster while remaining methodical. I had to run the scheme my way. Of course I wanted your help. I wanted to trap certain treacherous investors and keep the innocent ones out, for sure. But some people can’t help themselves – they ‘re drawn to the bright ultraviolet light in the center surrounded by the electrified grill. Meant to kill mosquitoes, sometimes a friendly lizard will just ride the lightning until its well-done body drops to ground.

Here we are in a simple Ford E350 Econoline van in front of my ocean-front condo. I adjusted the laptop on the passenger seat in order to remove the glare off the screen, and there’s a postcard in the center console with physicist Garrett Lisi ‘s EB physics model in full color on it. I turned it over and my wife, Taylor wrote, “May God’s particle be with you.”s I ‘ll admit it, even under the stress of being chased by international syndicates and the FBI, I smiled and continued to drive. With the aid of cutting-edge artificial intelligence – my best friend, I might be able to survive. Next step, go off-line and finish God ‘s Ponzi.

Read the rest of the excerpt in the issue below

Welcome to Uncaged! In your book, The Big Power of Tiny Connections, you talk about how even the smallest connections can have a big impact on your life. What do you hope for readers to take away from reading this book?

I want to remind you, or anyone reading my book, that everyone we meet has the power to change our lives and in turn, we have the power to change theirs. I’m talking about the guy standing in line next to you, grabbing a coffee at your local coffee house, or the women sitting next to you at the theatre Knowing that, would you want to connect with them in some way? Talk to them? Interact in some small way to see what awesomeness you can spark? I hope so. Because my book is packed with really fun stories as well as data that supports my belief that we’re wired for connection and it’s the most powerful thing we can do for our health and wellbeing.

Are you planning on other books in the future?

Absolutely. There are several ideas I’ve been thinking about but I’m not ready to share them just yet, so by all means stay tuned.

What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?

After I finished a total re-write of the book and while I was working with my developmental editor —I went through a horrible breakup. My relationship with my fiancé exploded and I had to shelve the book for about 8 months while I moved and got my head on straight. I knew publishing the book was very important to me and my healing, so to some degree getting the book through all the rounds of copy editing and proofreading was part of my healing process.

What was the motivation behind this book?

You want the truth? Ha! I love this question. I would say that initially the motivation was to make my mom proud. She’d bugged me my whole life to write a book and I thought maybe after she passed away in 2015, that I would lose the drive to do it. But I didn’t. So during covid, working with Authors Who Lead, a writing initiative fun by some amazing and empathetic humans, I really honed in on my unique personality traits. I focused on what made me—me? My passion for connecting with the world around me really stood out as my superpower.

As the book took shape, my motivations evolved from being less selfish and more altruistic. Pretty soon I realized that I truly wanted to help others get more out of their lives by inspiring them to see their interactions with the world in a new light, and to inspire them to take more risks when it came to connecting with anyone and everyone around. If my mom were still alive she’d be super proud of this accomplishment and I look forward to toasting with her on the other side, sometime in the future.

Please read the rest of the interview in the issue below

By the time Jen Nash was 18, she’d already moved ten times, landing in different cities in Canada before moving to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, and the United States. All this globe-trotting gave Jen a sense of urgency when it came to making friends and connections.

Over the past twenty years, Jen has had the privilege of co-founding a digital agency that went from 1.1M in revenue to over 15M in three years. Building a multi-million-dollar real estate portfolio and working as a writer and strategist for some of the biggest Fortune 50 companies in the world. In 2017 she became the CEO of a cryptocurrency start-up before transitioning into coaching full-time.

In 2022, leveraging her understanding of how powerfully important small connections can be, Jen wrote the book: The Big Power of Tiny Connections—How Small Interactions Spark Awesome Outcomes. Today she calls herself a Connector in Chief and Executive Coach. She is currently focused on supporting high-net-worth female clients embrace their abundance for maximum impact and running powerful corporate trainings for companies focused on improving presentation skills, human connection, culture, and employee retention rates.

jennash.com

The Big Power of Tiny Connections
Jen Nash
Motivational

“This book explains how even the smallest connections have the power to change your life forever. It’s not only a must-read — it’s a fun read.”—Allison Graham, Keynote Speaker & Author of Take Back Your Weekends

Using hilarious true-life stories alongside snippets of insightful research, Jen Nash underscores how powerfully connection supports our happiness, health, and well-being, while also sharing practical ways you can find and make connections on a daily basis—almost anywhere. Whether you want to go to more parties, get a better job, make more money, or get laid more—reading this book can give you practical strategies for doing it all. A happier, more successful, and more fulfilling life is within your reach and The Big Power of Tiny Connections will show you the way.

Excerpt

CHAPTER TWO:

“I Don’t Need More Friends” and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves

Most humans are not always up for talking to new people. We tell ourselves that “we don’t need more friends or connections” in order to avoid having potentially awkward encounters with that little-known human species, humanis-strangis. However, as discussed in the last chapter, positive psychology makes a strong case that social relationships are the single most important predictor of people’s well-being, and that people—with their powerful need to belong to social groups—cannot feel their best or be at their healthiest without having awesome, connective, and meaningful social relationships1. When people have more conversations, they report increased feelings of happiness. Happy people tend to engage others more, so the cycle continues! It’s not just when you’re talking to friends or family, either—it turns out that chatting up a stranger is also good for your health2.

What’s Really Holding Us Back?

Behavior change doesn’t happen because a study says it should. We need to get to the root of our discomfort and tackle our fears one by one. Our concerns run much deeper than “I don’t need more friends.” Most of us have totally logical concerns when it comes to mingling with the unknown. The top fears most of us experience when even contemplating talking to humanis-strangis revolve around our fear that:

• we won’t know how to start a conversation
• we won’t enjoy talking to the stranger
• we won’t like the stranger
• we’ll run out of things to say
• they won’t like us, and they’ll run out of things to say

We humans worry a lot that the other person won’t like us, instead of worrying whether we will like them. I hope the following intel24 will allay some of your fears:

FEAR #1:

I Stress About All Aspects of Talking to Strangers

If you’re worried about talking to strangers, it’s time to take a deep breath and push through it. That’s easier said than done, but maybe it would help to know that most conversations with strangers go way better than either person expects. You’ll feel more engaged than you expected, like them more than you expected, and neither of you will likely be bored or run out of things to say! People who don’t stress about talking to strangers have less anxiety, less shyness, and tend to feel better about themselves in regard to their friends. So, I think we should all
get on that train.

TAKE AWAY:
BE CURIOUS & COMPLIMENTARY

You want to ignore the knot you get in your chest when talking to strangers—but it’s hard. The most hopeful way forward may be to accept that practice is required to overcome your discomfort. This is one of those instances in life, where you need to shut your eyes and jump in—with a curious and complimentary mindset. Get curious about their life, their stories, their past and present. Do so in an encouraging manner, and you’ll both enjoy the chat.

Read the rest of this excerpt in the issue below