Our guest today is Dean Wesley Smith, “Writers of the Future Judge.” As a Finalist at the Inaugural Writers of the Future ceremonies in 1985, Dean Wesley Smith was the first person ever to receive a Writers of the Future Award, accepting his framed certificate from judges Dr. Gregory Benford, Roger Zelazny, Robert Silverberg, and Algis Budrys. Smith has published over a hundred novels in forty years and hundreds and hundreds of short stories across many genres. He has over eight million copies of his books in print and has been published in nine countries. He has written many original novels in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and romance, as well as books for television, movies, games, and comics. He is also known for writing quality work very quickly and has written many novels as a ghostwriter or under house names. Smith has also written books and comics for all three major comic book companies, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse. With his wife, he was also co-founder and publisher of Pulp House Publishing (which earned them a World Fantasy Award) before editing for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books.
“I think this Contest has done more to help new writers achieve their dreams than anything that has come before. I know it gave me a huge push. It’s wonderful to return to be a part of it again as a judge.” —Dean Wesley Smith Find out more at: deanwesleysmith.com.
Our second guest is Allen Anderson, Senior Vice President, Personal Lines Selective Insurance. Did you know that the U.S. Travel Association expects Americans to spend $95 billion on travel this year and new research from Selective Insurance, conducted online by The Harris Poll among over 1,400 U.S. homeowners, indicates that 44% of U.S. homeowners have planned to take a vacation that is a week or longer between July-Dec 2022? While homeowners might focus their efforts on planning their most memorable summer vacations, it is equally as important to plan how to best keep their homes and properties safe and secure while away. Selective Insurance wants to educate homeowners about the importance of keeping unoccupied properties safe and secure while traveling. It will release new research about how Americans protect their most valuable assets. Allen will share the complete results from this new national survey, including national and regional data. He will also provide tips to prepare the home for vacation, discuss common claims that homeowners report, and the benefits of having a smart home and/or security solution. For more information about Selective, visit www.Selective.com.