© 2024 Ideastream Public Media

1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115
(216) 916-6100 | (877) 399-3307

WKSU is a public media service licensed to Kent State University and operated by Ideastream Public Media.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Authors Brad Meltzer and Brad Ricca discuss their recent books

Cover jacket photos for "True Raiders" by Brad Ricca and "The Lightning Rod" by Brad Meltzer
Cover jacket photos for "True Raiders" by Brad Ricca and "The Lightning Rod" by Brad Meltzer

We are bringing you over the holiday season some of our shows and segments from the past year.

Today, we are focusing on interviews with two authors, who each dig into history for their inspiration.

The swashbuckling exploits of Indiana Jones that began in Raiders of the Lost Ark captured the imaginations of a generation of movie-goers. But the journey to find the lost Ark of the Covenant did not begin and end with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and their classic film.

Case Western Reserve University English Professor and author, Brad Ricca, takes readers on a different but similar journey in his book, “True Raiders.” Instead of Indiana Jones, we have Monty Parker, a British nobleman who headed up a secret expedition to find the ark.

We spoke to Ricca about his book in early 2022 about how in this case, truth may in fact be stranger than the movie fiction that audiences already know.

Later in the hour, we return to our June interview with best-selling author, Brad Meltzer. He released the highly anticipated sequel “The Lightning Rod” in 2022. It follows the characters introduced in The Escape Artist.

While Meltzer’s works are fiction, the history behind his stories comes from immersive and intensive research. We talked to Meltzer about his process for melding research with storytelling.

Guests:
- Brad Ricca, Author, "True Raiders"
- Brad Meltzer, Author, "The Lightning Rod"

Leigh Barr is a coordinating producer for the "Sound of Ideas" and the "Sound of Ideas Reporters Roundtable."