Spotlight On Jason Dowd

On Ron’s Amazing Stories this week we are back on the Horror Express with Jason Dowd. We talk about time travel and answer Jill’s question on religion and who is more radical. I have been working with Jason now for seven years and he has been a huge part of what the show has become. I thought that I would take a minute, throw the spotlight on him, and tell you all about him.

Art is a way of life for Jason Dowd. From an early age, he created it using various mediums, but none was as profound, to him than photography. Jason has a unique sense of beauty as he sees it in the dark places most people shy away from. He finds beauty deep inside urban decay, and inspiration wherever he goes by watching for things that most ignore. Growing up Jason’s hero was Walt Disney. He found him to be a fascinating individual, which he tries to mimic in his own work ethic. Like Disney, he believes if you care to dream you can accomplish anything.

In addition to his artwork, Jason hosts the AME Radio Show, the AME TV Show, and writes for the AME Magazine. He’s also produced a variety of music videos and TV shows for other hosts and performers. Add in that he is an award-winning photographer.

Of Jason I will say this, he has never failed to impress me with his quick thinking wit and exuberance for whatever project we endeavor on together. I am so very happy he came on the show that day back in 2012 and that he continues to be part of Ron’s Amazing Stories.

Jason’s Links: FaceBook, Twitter, Gladdy’s Goodies, AME Magazine, and Imagine-nation Art Studios.

This Week’s Podcast: You can listen to Jason and Ron on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

Ron’s Amazing Stories is produced and hosted by Ronald Hood:
Email: ronsamazingstories@gmail.com
Blog Page: https://ronsamazingstories.blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ronsamazingstories/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RASpodcast

Helpful Links:
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Spotlight on Stanley Swan

On Ron’s Amazing Stories – the blog this time we introduce Mr. Stanley Swan.

What do the following have in common? A Funeral Director, an Undertaker and a Mortician. Quite simply they are the names for a job that is of huge significance to humanity but often shunned by society’s spotlight. The ironic thing is that everyone will one day become a paying client for this age-old industry. Stanley Swan was an undertaker for more than 30 years.

Stan was brought up with his three siblings on a dairy farm in the Southern Tier of New York State. At a very young age, he knew he was destined to be in the funeral business, but first, he spent 15 years as an on-air radio personality. At age 31, he returned to college and obtained his NYS directors license. He then, with his wife Sandra, purchased a small funeral home, which they operated for twenty years. Also during that time, Stan worked with the local Sheriff’s department in corrections. After having a bout of cancer Stan and Sandra sold their firm. However, a short time later they returned to the ‘calling’ he felt so strongly about. After thirty-seven years, Stan retired and began his new career as an author.

His first book was called Undertakings Of An Undertaker and it received critical success. It told stories about his life in the funeral business. In his newest book, Tales Unleashed, you’ll experience the chill of a fortune teller, a pumpkin weeping for home, a crow who stands guard over his domain and being ‘lost’ at the drive-in. There are twenty-eight short stories in all and they are just that good.

This Week’s Podcast: On the podcast this week Stanley Swan joins Ron and they talk about his new book, Tales Unleashed. Also, we have a ghost story from Old Mexico and a short sci-fi story called Spacemen Never Die. You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

Spotlight – Philip K. Dick

One of my favorite authors from the pulp fiction era is Philip K. Dick. He has influenced the way I write and edit. He was not only a talented writer but a creative one as well. While most called his works dark and told of a foreboding future he was amazingly accurate with his predictions.

Philip was an American writer known for his contributions in science fiction. His work explored philosophical, social, and political themes, with stories dominated by evil corporations, dictatorships, and altered states of consciousness. His writing also reflected his interest in metaphysics, theology, and often drew upon his own life experiences.

Dick was born in Illinois, but eventually moved to California and began publishing science fiction stories in the 1950s. He initially had little commercial success. However, in 1962 he wrote the novel The Man in the High Castle which earned him a Hugo Award for Best Novel. He followed that with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. This story went on to become the classic movie Blade Runner starring Harrison Ford in 1982. Dick produced 44 novels and approximately 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his lifetime. He was responsible for a variety of popular films including Blade Runner (1982), Total Recall (1990 and 2012), Minority Report (2002), The Adjustment Bureau (2011), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). The Man in the High Castle, was made into a multi-season television series.

Philip K. Dick became the first science fiction writer to be included in The Library of America series. On March 2, 1982, Dick died in the hospital at the age of 53. After his death, his father took his ashes to Riverside Cemetery in Fort Morgan, Colorado where he was buried next to his twin sister Jane. He died three months before the release of the original Blade Runner film.

This Week’s Podcast: On the program this week we have an incredible story from Portland, Oregon called, The Creature Of Multnomah Falls. Also, on the show we have a story from the master of Sci-Fi Philip K. Dick in a story he wrote called Second Variety. You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

Spotlight – Himan Brown

On the show last week we had an episode of The Inner Sanctum which is a radio series created by Himan Brown. Many of you asked to know more about the guy. Well, I think this is the perfect time to throw the spotlight on him and ask, “Who was Himan Brown?”

Himan Brown was an American producer of radio and television programs. Over seven decades he produced radio shows for most of the major radio networks of the time. Brown first learned about radio from his shop teacher at Brooklyn’s Boys High School, and at the age of 18, he began broadcasting on WEAF New York reading newspapers with a Yiddish dialect. One of his listeners was Gertrude Berg. She was a pioneer of classic radio and was the first women to create, produce and star in a long-running hit. She wanted Brown to play Jake, her husband on her show The Goldbergs, which he did for six months. He continued as a radio actor but soon began to pitch shows directly to advertising agencies.

While at Brooklyn College, he recruited fellow student Irwin Shaw to write scripts, giving the author his first paid writing job. Over 65 years, Brown produced more than 30,000 radio programs, including The Adventures of the Thin Man, The Affairs of Peter Salem, Bulldog Drummond, CBS Radio Mystery Theater, City Desk, Dick Tracy, Flash Gordon, The General Mills Radio Adventure Theater, Grand Central Station, Green Valley USA, The Gumps, Inner Sanctum Mysteries, Joyce Jordan M.D., Marie, the Little French Princess, The NBC Radio Theater, The Private Files of Rex Saunders, Terry and the Pirates and numerous daytime soap operas.

Where Himan Brown shined was on the Inner Sanctum. He had a love for the dark and scary stuff and it showed on this well produced and written anthology series. Big stars flocked to his show to be part of its masterful direction and productions. Inner Sanctum eventually came to television and he repeated his success there. In 1974 he showed the world that good radio was still possible with the hit series CBS Radio Mystery Theater starring E.G. Marshall. This series ran until 1982 and reruns on radio stations all over the world today.

In 1938, Brown moved to a ten-room apartment at 285 Central Park West, where he would live the rest of his life. He had two children, Barry Kenneth Brown and Hilda Joan Brown, two grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Brown died peacefully at his apartment on June 4, 2010, at the of 100.

Brown’s awards include – The American Broadcast Pioneer and Peabody Awards. Also, Brown was inducted in the 1990s into the National Radio Hall of Fame.

This Week’s Podcast: On the podcast this week we have a scary story from listener Alexandra which should have you shivering just a bit. Mark Nelson is back reading a Japanese Horror short story that is remarkably entertaining! You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

Spotlight – Gary S. Roen

On the podcast this week we have the author, Gary S. Roen. I love it when we have authors on the show. When I originally started the podcast in 2011 it was my idea to have a different author every week. In fact, I may start a new podcast one day and do just that. Gary has written a collection of science fiction stories called Journey and will join us to tell us all about it.

Gary is an agent, author, syndicated book reviewer and has been doing it for 30 years. His reviews have appeared in hundreds of daily and weekly newspapers. He has also authored two books of poetry, “Look at Me World”, and “Made By Man.” He has also created a recurring character in his stories named, Slotski Bear. Here is what Gary had to say about his bear’s origin.

“Slotski Bear began because I was working in the mall and found a hideous teddy bear that had the power to scare everyone in a trash can. He even scared me. Later at dinner, I started writing the beginning of a story on a Hooters takeout menu. I found I had to race home to write the rest of the story.” – Gary S. Roen

You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

Journey – By Gary S. Roen
Legacy Book Publishing
Available on Amazon.com

Synopsis: A syndicated book critic now turns his attention on a new endeavor, the short story, by writing his own science fiction collection. Some are as short as 66 words, which is a true test of an author’s ability to tell in so few words. There are seven adventures of the scary stuffed bear named Slotski, who has rare abilities. This compilation contains other slices of life in the near future: technology gone amuck, a smartphone that is smarter than it should be, a radio broadcast that isn’t all it sounds, a cat that has a message for humanity, and a woman who doesn’t want to just make money in a research study, are among some of the intriguing stories you’ll find in Journey.