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Interview with Author and Podcaster Jonathan Rosen

By on February 12, 2026   /   Articles, Author Interviews  

I’ve known Jonathan Rosen for almost a decade, but there’s some disagreement on how we met. Jonathan claims it was at a photoshoot for People magazine, where I interviewed him for the “Sexiest Man Alive” cover. Jonathan further maintains that he beat out Zac Efron and Idris Elba for the honor, and that the men were so distraught, Annie Leibovitz needed three assistants and a bottle of Jameson’s to calm them down.

I won’t bother to tell you the real story, because it’s not nearly as entertaining (😀), but I will say this: Jonathan Rosen is a dear friend and former Mixed-Up Files member, and I’m delighted to talk to him about his career as a writer, podcaster, blogger, and literary agent. So, without further ado…

Heeeeere’s Jonathan Rosen!

MR: Thanks so much for joining us today, Jonathan. We’ve missed you at the Mixed-Up Files, but I know you’ve been busy. Let’s start with your writing life. Can you tell readers what you’ve been working on these days?

 JR: For the record, Zac Efron was inconsolable after I beat him for the title, but that’s all in the past and I feel guilty for rehashing it. But it happened. As far as writing goes, I’m in a mix of things now. I’m working on a middle-grade novel as well as a couple of things for adults. A romcom and a nonfiction.

Pop Culture Retro

MR: In addition to writing, you’re the co-host of the popular podcast, Pop Culture Retro, which celebrates past trends in music, fashion, TV, movies, and more.  How did you first got involved with the podcast? Also, what attracts you to pop culture from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s?

JR: I’ve always had a love of Pop Culture. I was a movie and TV kid. A huge viewer. Always read entertainment books on the history of cinema and show business. I grew up watching old shows from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s as well. I moved around a lot as a kid, so went to the movies. You didn’t need anyone to go to the movies.

As far as the podcast goes, it happened almost by accident. I was doing interviews with editors and agents for MUF and would usually ask them what their favorite childhood movie was. A couple of people said Escape to Witch Mountain. A friend of mine, Jan Eldredge, reached out to me and said that she was friends with Ike Eisenmann, who starred in Witch Mountain. I asked to interview him for MUF, and he graciously accepted. I became friendly with Ike, and eventually suggested that we do a podcast. It was a good dynamic, since Ike had been in the business, and I was a huge, and I’d like to think knowledgeable, fan.

We began interviewing people who had appeared in many shows and films from when I was a kid, and it was surreal to me. If I had told kid-me that I’d be interviewing people that I grew up watching, I would never have believed it. One of the people we interviewed, a friend of Ike’s was Moosie Drier. He had also had been in many beloved shows and films when he was a kid, including Oh God!, Laugh-In, The Bob Newhart Show, and many others. When Ike eventually stopped doing the show to focus on other things, Moosie agreed to take over, and I’ve had a blast straight through. We’re now good friends.

Rubbing Elbows with the Stars

MR: As a follow-up, you’ve interviewed dozens of iconic celebrities for the show, including Tiffany, Hal Linden, Morgan Fairchild, Mason Reese, Christopher Knight from The Brady Bunch, Audrey Landers from Dallas, Willie Aames from Eight Is Enough, the stars from Little House on the Prairie, and many more. Of all the celebs you’ve chatted with, which ones stand out the most?

JR: I’m not just saying this, but I actually enjoy every interview. I’m a fan, and I enjoy hearing behind-the-scenes stories. But if you want me to focus on one, I’ll answer–and also give the reason. For me, it was Meeno Peluce who was also a big star when he was a kid. He was in the TV show Voyagers, the time-travel show that also starred the late Jon-Erik Hexum. Voyagers was on for only one season, but it was my favorite show. I loved it, and it was one of the first shows I remember being really upset about when it was cancelled. I had gone back and watched the series many times since then, and when Meeno came on, it brought me back to my childhood.

Cher: The Icon… the Legend… the Fantasy

MR: Last celebrity question, and it’s a deeply personal one. What’s the deal with Cher? Not only are you her biggest fan, but you’ve also asked her to appear on Pop Culture Retro at least 365 times. She hasn’t said yes (yet), but do you think she will? Also, what is it about Cher that resonates with you so profoundly? I am being dead serious here.

JR: Okay, I LOVE Cher! And I asked a LOT more than 365 times. She DID answer me once. I asked for an interview daily for a while, and at one point she answered, “What interview??” I think she got confused, thinking she was actually scheduled for an interview.

But back to her. She was the first celebrity crush I had as a kid. The first celebrity poster I had on my wall. Others had the Farrah poster. I had Cher. Love her films, love her music, and I love the persona she has. Just an icon.

The Jewish Lens

MR: Pop Culture Retro” isn’t your only podcast. You’re also the host of The Jewish Lens, which covers themes such as Jewish identity, cultural challenges, and social issues, with episodes featuring such topics as antisemitism, Holocaust education, and the impact of Jewish culture in various industries. I know that your Jewish identity is integral to who you are as a person. Can you share your thoughts on what inspired you to create this podcast, and what it means to you?

JR: October 7th happened. I felt helpless. I saw Jew hate skyrocket and felt like I wanted to do something. And part of what I do is interview people. I wanted to give a platform to Jewish voices. I’ve had on authors, sports figures, movie people, activists, politicians, etc. It really is just a place where I want to give a place for Jews to speak. I don’t always agree with my guests, or necessarily share all opinions, but I like that there’s conversation, and giving a place to share a Jewish voice.

Substack: Platform of Choice

MR: You’ve also created a Substack recently. Can you tell readers more about it?

 JR: Lately, Substack has been the social media platform where I’ve spent the most time. I had intended to do a lot on writing, and using my experience as an author and former literary agent, and I still will talk about publishing from my lens. But so far, my Substack veered off. I talk a lot about Jew hate, and the Jewish experience socially, as well as in publishing.

Adventures in Agenting

MR: In addition to writing and podcasting, you’ve worked as a literary agent. What was that experience like for you? Also, what advice would you give to both agented and querying writers?

JR: I am an admirer of whoever is an agent. It’s not something I enjoyed at all. I say it often. No author is happy unless you sell them, and in publishing, there are a lot more non-sells than sells. It can be frustrating, and I knew that from the author side as well. I also put so much time into it, that I was seriously neglecting my own writing. I had sales, which I’m happy I could help make someone’s publishing dream come true, but I’m happy to be doing something else. As far as advice, I will be posting a lot of it on my Substack, so check there. 😊

Jonathan’s Writing Process

MR: What’s your writing process like, Jonathan? Are you a plotter or a pantser? Also, do you have a specific writing routine?

JR: I usually plot extensively. I plot every detail. But with that being said, Night of the Living Cuddle Bunnies and its sequel, From Sunset to Sunrise, were really more of an example of being a pantser. So, you never know.

No Jonathan Rosen interview is complete without a CHER LIGHTNING ROUND, so…

Favorite Cher song? I like so many, but “Just Like Jesse James” is the song I’ve kept on repeat more than any other.

Favorite Cher movie? Moonstruck, but I also like Witches of Eastwick a LOT!

Favorite Cher hairstyle? I can’t answer that. It’s like choosing between your children.

Favorite Cher outfit? I do have one, but this is a site dedicated to children’s books, so will pass. [Oh boy… I knew it would come to this 😂. –MR]

Favorite Cher quote? “Yes, Jonathan Rosen, I’d be delighted to come on for an interview!” (Okay, to be fair, she hasn’t said this one yet, but she will, and it’ll be my favorite quote.)

Sonny Bono or Gregg Allman? Can I say Jonathan Rosen? Between those two, you have to go with Sonny, but once I meet Cher in person, I think it’s going to be a foregone conclusion to have my name listed there.

You’re stranded on a desert island with Cher, with only three items in your possession. What are they? Why would I need anything else if I had Cher on an island??

MR: Thanks for stopping by the chat, Jonathan. It was a real pleasure!

JR: Always a pleasure, Melissa! (You can now stop threatening me to do the interview.)

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WNDMG Author Interview: Charlotte Watson Sherman

By on February 11, 2026   /   Articles, WNDMG  

Let’s give a warm welcome to Charlotte Watson Sherman, a former librarian and author of children’s picture and middle-grade books. She’s going to dish about her latest works and share her best librarian recommendations for middle-grade readers to enjoy during Black History Month and beyond. So, settle in and enjoy!

Author Charlotte Sherman

Tell me about This Opening Sky. How did the idea for the book come about?

This Opening Sky is a middle-grade verse novel about two 12-year-old girls – one Black, one White – coping with the end of the Civil War. Aurelia, the daughter of a plantation owner, has lost both parents. Halle, newly freed, is searching for her parents. The girls decide to travel North together and confront misconceptions about each other as they depend on each other for survival.

 

The book came about after my co-author, Kelly Hollman, submitted a manuscript to Bushel and Peck Books. They liked the story’s premise, but wanted to include a Black writer. I had previously submitted a co-written board book manuscript that Bushel and Peck rejected, but they reached out to see if I’d be interested in co-writing the book with Kelly. After I read the early draft, I was intrigued by Kelly’s plot and excited to get involved.

What was it like collaborating with another writer? How did the writing and revision process work?

Collaborating with another writer was a journey. Sometimes an emotional rollercoaster for both of us. I wanted to be respectful of Kelly’s vision as the originator of the story idea. I could see that she loved both characters. I also believed that together, we could produce something fresh that hadn’t been seen in children’s literature before.

We had difficult conversations about race and history and stereotypes. I felt like I was constantly battling tropes from Gone With the Wind, Birth of a Nation, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and Huckleberry Finn. I knew what it felt like to be a Black student in a classroom where the N-word was invoked dozens of times in a piece of literature. And I didn’t want a contemporary Black child to have to endure that type of trauma as a result of anything I’d helped bring into the world. Luckily, my co-author didn’t want to inflict that type of trauma either.

When we wrote the book, we alternated chapters. In early drafts, I solely focused on “my” character. I fleshed out her backstory and frontstory, gave her an inner life, and added scenes; my co-author did the same with “her” character. In later drafts, we needed to make sure chapters flowed seamlessly and revised to maintain the overall flow of the book. We set deadlines based on when the publisher needed the manuscript finished. Multiple sets of eyes provided feedback for revision.

When did you realize you wanted to become a writer?

I was hooked on books by third grade. I was a bookworm who read with a flashlight under the covers. The more adventurous the story, the better. I couldn’t wait to begin writing my own.

You’ve written for different age groups. What is your favorite part about writing for the middle-grade reader?

My favorite part about writing for middle-grade readers is how you can up the ante a little bit with subject matter and concepts and vocabulary. And fun. I also read books with my tween grandchild and enjoy the range of subjects we tackle. And the discussions about life that the stories allow us to have.

How (or does) being a former librarian impact what/how you write?

As a former librarian, I was exposed to a large swath of readers from different backgrounds and was able to see how different types of stories resonated with young readers. In library school, I focused on the information needs of youth and was able to immerse myself in reading children’s literature. That study informed the books I now write. I love research, so being a former librarian helps me use those research skills to write fiction and nonfiction about a variety of subjects. I never get tired of learning new things.

Also, leaning on your librarian experience, what middle-grade books would you recommend for readers during Black History Month?

Operation Sisterhood by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History and Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History by Vashti Harrison

One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome

The Watson’s Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

Radiant by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Warrior on the Mound by Sandra W. Headen

28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World by Charles R. Smith, Jr.

Treasure Island by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Rosa Parks & Claudette Colvin: Civil Rights Heroes by Tracey Baptiste, art by Shauna J. Grant

Black Star by Kwame Alexander

What’s next for you? Any more middle-grade books on the horizon?

Book cover for Learn Baby LearnLearn, Baby, Learn: The Shindana Toy Factory’s Legacy of Black Pride, a picture book illustrated by Esther Stimphat, publishes March 2026. It’s the story of the nation’s first Black toy factory established after the Watts Uprising. I’m also working on a middle-grade verse novel and a couple of middle-grade biographies.

Bonus question:

If you could hang out with any middle-grade character in literature, who would it be and why?

My grandchild and I had so much fun reading the Operation Sisterhood books; it would most likely be that family because they have so many fun things going on. My grands actually started their own dog-walking business due to that family.

 

Thank you, Charlotte! It was a pleasure learning about your work.

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Meet Author Matt Landis

By on February 6, 2026   /   Articles, Author Interviews  
Author Matthew Landis

By day, Matt Landis is a middle school social studies teacher in Warrington, Pennsylvania; but by night (and, well, sometimes also by day…), he’s the author of some high adventure, high stakes, middle grade books. 

 

Matt’s National Archives Hunters series features 10-year-old twins who become unofficial “consultants” who assist the FBI’s Art Crime Team to help find and recover stolen relics from history and beyond. Throughout the series, there is also an ongoing hunt for an elusive criminal mastermind.

Book cover with two kids -- one boy and one girl -- running down the steps of the US Capitol. The title says National Archive Hunters Capitol Chase.Book Cover with pink and orange sky background. Three kids -- one boy and two girls -- are in the foreground with the Statue of Liberty behind them. The title says National Archive Hunters Eternal Flame

 

Two books in this series are now available: National Archive Hunters: Capitol Chase and National Archive Hunters: Eternal Flame. In the former, twins Ike and Iris are in mad pursuit of a thief who’s stealing valuable artifacts; in the latter, the twins race from D.C. to Paris to New York to save one of America’s most iconic treasures.  

 

All this running around is reminiscent of the author! Matt Landis has been on a whirlwind RV tour, taking his author-visit-extravaganza across the country. We were lucky to catch up with him for this interview!

 

Matt, we know a lot of teachers, so we have to start by finding out how a teacher is able to embark upon a cross-country author tour.

 

Two years ago, I hatched a secret plan to quit my job for a year and travel America with my wife and four kids in an RV. When I confessed this epic adventure to my bride, Kristy, she said, “No.” 

To be fair, her main concern was valid: money. I’m a full-time middle school history teacher who writes middle grade books in the morning and late at night and on my 18-minute teacher lunch. Kristy, also a teacher, works part time at a PreK. We couldn’t exactly quit our jobs or afford an RV (much less drive one); my wife, though a woman of great patience, wasn’t keen on sharing a cramped living space for a prolonged period with our ten and eight year olds, much less our five-year-old twins. 

 

And yet, last January to June, we pulled that adventure off. I cajoled a sabbatical out of my school district, found a used RV, YouTubed everything on the Internet, and built a seventy-school book tour to fund the work/vacation/adventure. From sea to shining sea we drove, laughed, cried, clogged the tiny RV toilet, and drank in the amazing America I’ve spent nearly two decades teaching about. Across twenty-five states, I ran hundreds of assemblies, high-fived forty-thousand kids, ran book orders, slung product, and met the most incredible educators. We hiked through canyons, sand boarded down desert dunes, stared up at Redwoods, gawked at blackout skies, and fed wild donkeys in South Dakota. We held a gator in Florida, where there are essentially no rules. We attended a rodeo in San Antonio, a state where four-year-old children regularly ride wild sheep in an event known as “Mutton Bustin’.” We survived a spring snow squall in New Mexico. We played tag on the Utah salt flats. We ate a lot of tacos. 

 

That sounds like quite an adventure! You mentioned recording your travel escapades on Substack. Tell us a little more about that. 

 

My biggest fear was forgetting the small moments, so I decided to narrate the adventure in a Substack podcast fabulously titled The Great American RV Family Book Tour. The goal was to capture the planning, launch, highs, lows, as well as the mundane that together make up a true adventure. Episodes featured locations and guests — friends we reunited with along the way, family we stayed with, my kids, Kristy. Production quality grew, helped by my decision to outline episodes instead of winging it. I finally had a great reason to buy some cool sound equipment.

 

What motivated you to use this medium, and what other platforms have you explored?

 

Little did I know that this travel pod experiment would be the starting point of another project — a student-centered history podcast for teachers, parents, and homeschool co-ops.

 

For the past eighteen years, my single mission in the middle school social studies classroom has been to make history not boring; I’ve been attempting the same in the middle-grade fiction space for a decade. My next frontier: Internet airwaves. 

 

See, I love a stage. Whether my classroom of twenty-five students or a gym of five hundred rabid upper elementary kids, I come alive when bringing the past to life. “Start a history YouTube channel, bruh” you might suggest, which I considered. But I hate the screen addiction of phones and especially school laptops that have eroded my students’ ability to do meaningful things with their time. Because that’s my goal, too: use the time I have amidst my wild life to create meaningful content for educators and parents in the arena I love most. 

 

So I’m going after it.

 

Wait – a podcast for kids? We definitely need some more details about that.

 

American Made is a history podcast for students in grades 3-7, positioned for teachers, parents, and homeschool parents to push-and-play. Purposefully on the shorter side (10-15 min), I explore the questions, stories, and struggles that built a nation using kid-friendly language, soundtracks, voice actors heralding primary sources, all while trying to muster the in-person humor and drama you’d get in my classroom. Original narrative appears as well, such as the Christmas special I wrote on Washington Crossing the Delaware. Supplemental resources, including editable handouts, sources, and ‘digging deeper’ ideas come with each episode, free, like the content itself. The short ad you hear in the middle of each episode is comedic — I made these products up. The “Overreactor Parental Zapper,” for example, is a dime-sized electrode that sticks to the back of an adult’s phone; when they overreact at their child’s soccer game, it sends a tiny shock through their body to remind them this is not the World Cup. 

 

What is your goal for the podcast?

 

I’m not after views or likes or even money (okay, maybe some money) but primarily use. Could a classroom teacher deploy this episode during their unit on the American Revolution? Could a Gifted/GIEP teacher use it as enrichment? Could a parent play it in the car on the way home from dance or soccer pick-up and spark a conversation? Could a home school co-op position it as a model to create their own podcast? These questions drive my topics and outlines, as do my daughter’s feedback when listening to a draft recording. “Dad, it’s a little boring at this part,” she’ll announce, headphones on, while working on a posterboard for a school presentation on City Spies. 

 

“You know, James Ponti and I are like, basically colleagues,” I remind her. No response. 

 

With teaching, traveling, running author visits, and podcasting, it must be difficult to find time to write. Do you have any new books on the horizon?

 

Every artist — writers especially — battle legions of demons collectively known as Other Cool Ideas. I still have books in me that I want to write, including our family’s America Tour story; I actively harbor dreams of being the next Nicholas Sparks; maybe one day I’ll finish that historical rap album, to my children’s great shame. But in the year 2026, fittingly America’s 250th anniversary of Independence, I’m embarking on my own “Cause” as the Founders called it, a mission I began in 2007 when I walked into the social studies classroom: to help kids understand the past in a not horribly boring way. It’s for my readers, teachers, and parents who have already or might yet discover my brand of storytelling. If you’re reading this, it’s also for you.

 

And I would love to have you join me on this audio adventure. 

 

Matt, thank you so much for taking the time to share your adventures – both real and fictional – with us. Before you run, please let us know where we can catch up with you!

 

Thanks for the interview! It’s great to share a little about myself and my books with your readers. For anyone interested in following me, here’s a list of all the places you can find me online:

 

Website: https://www.matthew-landis.com/

Instagram: @Matthew_Landis 

TikTok: @authorlandis 

X (formerly Twitter): @AuthorLandis

YouTube: @author.matthewlandis

Substack: @mattlandis

__________

 

Author Matthew LandisMatthew Landis is a full-time Social Studies teacher at Tamanend Middle School in Pennsylvania where he seeks to slay boredom wherever it lurks in his classroom. He is married to an elementary teacher (highly recommended) whose wisdom helps him balance in teaching, writing, and life. He won Mississippi’s 2020 Magnolia Book Award and the ILA 2019 Teacher’s Choices Reading List Award. A four-time Junior Library Guild recipient, Matthew’s middle grade novel, “It’s the End of the World as I Know It,” was shortlisted for the Virginia Reader’s Award, the Missouri Truman Reading Award, Oklahoma’s Sequoyah Book Award, and the South Dakota Teen Choice Award. His MG novel “Operation Final Notice” is currently shortlisted for Washington State’s Sasquatch Award. He has four kids, thirty-five chickens, three cats, and loves tacos. He hasn’t slept well since 2015.

 

 

 

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