In the latest Season 4 episode of the Rock is Lit Reading Series, author Thomas Calder takes us into the heart of his poignant novel, ‘The Wind Under the Door’. Set against the vibrant backdrop of contemporary Asheville and the majestic North Carolina mountains, the story follows Ford Carson as he navigates love, family, and artistic reinvention. At forty, Ford has forged a new life as a visual artist in the mountains of North Carolina. A chance meeting with Grace Burnett leads to a burgeoning love affair. But the romance is complicated by Grace’s estranged husband and the unexpected arrival of Ford’s own estranged son. Asheville’s cultural and physical landscapes shape the narrative, with the music of Arcade Fire as an emotional and thematic thread woven throughout the story.

Tune in to hear an excerpt from this beautifully nuanced story and gain insight into the creation of a book that, as author Wiley Cash says, “is a love letter to our reckless hopeful moments and dangerous impulses.”

Thomas Calder earned his MFA in creative writing from the University of Houston. His work has appeared in ‘Gulf Coast’, ‘Miracle Monocle’, ‘The Collagist’, and elsewhere. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina with his wife, daughter, and dog. ‘The Wind Under the Door’ is his debut novel.

MUSIC IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE:

• Rock is Lit theme music
• [Guitar Instrumental Beat] Sad Rock [Free Use Music] Punch Deck—“I Can’t Stop”
• Arcade Fire “Rococo”
• Arcade Fire “The Suburbs”
• Arcade Fire “Reflektor”
• Arcade Fire “Empty Room”
• [Guitar Instrumental Beat] Sad Rock [Free Use Music] Punch Deck—“I Can’t Stop”
• Rock is Lit theme music

LINKS: 

Leave a rating and comment for Rock is Lit on Goodpods: https://goodpods.com/podcasts/rock-is-lit-212451

Leave a rating and comment for Rock is Lit on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rock-is-lit/id1642987350

Thomas Calder’s website: https://www.thomas-calder.com/

Thomas Calder’s playlist for ‘The Wind the Door’: https://www.thomas-calder.com/new-page-3

Thomas Calder on Facebook: @ThomasCalder

Thomas Calder on Instagram: @t.calder

Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website: www.christyalexanderhallberg.com

Christy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, Instagram & YouTube: @ChristyHallberg

Rock is Lit on Instagram: @rockislitpodcast

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Christy Alexander Hallberg Podcaster, Author

Christy Alexander Hallberg is the author of the award-winning novel 'Searching for Jimmy Page' (Livingston Press, 2021) and host of Rock is Lit, the first podcast devoted to rock novels. She is a Teaching Professor of English at East Carolina University and serves as Senior Associate Editor of 'North Carolina Literary Review'. Her fiction, creative nonfiction, book reviews, and interviews have appeared in many journals, including 'storySouth', 'Still: The Journal', 'Fiction Southeast', ‘Litro’, ‘STORGY’, ‘Entropy’, and 'Eclectica'.