Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews Matthew del Papa and Andy Taylor, editors of SUPERCANUCKS: An Anthology of Small Town Canadian Superheroes. Prior to the interview Mark shares a brief personal update and a word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. During the interview Mark, Matthew, and Andy talk about: Andy and Mat's writing background and how they got into editing an anthology like Super Canucks How editing is a new experience for Andy The consist "what if?" that has been a part of Andy's writing for most of his life Matthew's background and the various genres he has written What the appeal of writing fantasy and non-science-filled fiction is for Mat The origin story of the Supercanucks anthology and how it relates to the "brain drain" to larger cities How far the call-out for stories for this anthology went The submissions and the whittling-down process Having six stories set in Northern Ontario, but needing to ensure the stories were from across the country The locales across Canada that made the cut for this anthology The process of reading and selecting and editing the stories Deciding who was going to edit which story and work with which authors The uniqueness for some of the contributors with being able to use Canadian pop culture references and spelling The sudden need for an aspect of the "Elbows Up!" motif into the anthology Mat's learnings when it came to working with a traditional publisher rather than the previous self-publishing experience he'd had before Some of the things they experienced editing this anthology that they hadn't expected Advice Matthew and Andy would offer to writers who are interested in submitting to an anthology After the interview Mark shares a few reflections about the value of understanding the process that editors use when selecting stories for an anthology, an admission of a goof-up he made in a recent submission, and his own experience with "brain drain" and "Elbows Up!" Links of Interest: Matthew del Papa's Website Andy Taylor's Website Latitude 46 Publishing EP 298 - Honesty, Humor, Poetry, Essays, and Disability with Matthew del Papa and Vera Constantineau EP 224 - Being An Independent Publisher and Bookseller with Heather Campbell EP 439 - Rambling Reflections From The Road to CanCon Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises Matthew D. Del Papa spent every Tuesday of his youth crisscrossing his hometown of Capreol in search of newly arrived comic books. He wore superhero-themed Underoos to a truly worrying age and still has his Batman (and Robin) lunchbox, backpack, and wrist-watch. A graduate of Laurentian University, Matthew is a writer, editor, and self-publisher, and has released ten titles to some modest local acclaim. He joined the Sudbury Writers' Guild in 2009 and his writing has appeared in Spooky Sudbury, Nothing Without Us Too, Mighty, and Sudbury Superstack: A Changing Skyline. His collection of humorous essays titled Jerry Lewis Told Me I Was Going to Die, was released in 2023 through Latitude 46 Publishing. Andy W. Taylor has been a reader and writer of speculative fiction from an early age thanks in no small part to his mother's frequent trips to the public library with her kids. Andy is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada, past president and member of the Sudbury Writers' Guild, a graduate of the Viable Paradise writing workshop and Playwright's Junction workshop, and a member of CODEX. Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Andy currently resides in Sudbury, Ontario with his family. His fiction has appeared in Nature: Futures, Polar Borealis, On Spec, FictionVale and on the streets of Sudbury. Visit him at www.SooGuy.com or on BlueSky at @sooguy68.bsky.social The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews Marie Lynne Desrochers about her new memoir SHAKEN AWAKE: A Memoir on Identity and Connection. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Toronto Indie Author Conference, taking place in Toronto, ON in April 2026. In the interview, Mark and Marie Lynne talk about: Marie's background in the corporate world marketing and how that ties in to storytelling The startling event of receiving a message via Facebook from a man who introduced himself as Marie's father and how that lead to this memoir The moment when you start wondering who you thought you've been your whole life Marie's book SHAKEN AWAKE: A MEMOIR ON IDENTITY AND CONNECTION which is being released in English first in March 2026, and then will be released in French in June (both written by Marie who is bilingual) How the table of contents for the book seemed to emerge dynamically near the beginning of the project The exploration of identity and the various different identities that each individual wears The value of sitting in different seats during the experience of writing a memoir like this How the cover and the title for this book came to be The way when you first become aware of something you see it everywhere The ritual and importance of the kintsugi bowl from Japanese culture The fear that still sits with Marie in the process of releasing this story to the world When editors have conflicting views/perspectives on a book and how that can mean it's going to be a really good book - and the importance that not everyone is going to like it, or even believe it Supernatural guidance that Marie received that helped answer the question of why she was writing this book Deciding not to try to go to a publisher, but going to Author Nation instead to connect with people and learn how to get the book out there herself The triple crown of being a successful author that includes needing to have mentors, to know what you're doing, and to have an accountability buddy Advice Marie would offer to a writer beginning on their journey The confidence about trusting emergence Doing a book launch at a local gallery and the power of that collaboration The distinctly different title for the French version of the book And more... After the interview Mark reflects on a number of things that came up during the interview. Links of Interest: Marie Lynne Desrocher's Website Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises Marie Lynne Desrochers is a Montreal-based author, speaker, director and former banking executive whose 30-year career spanned marketing, entrepreneurship, and advising global leaders. She now explores truth, identity, and connection through narrative nonfiction. Her memoir, Shaken Awake: A Memoir on Identity and Connection (March 19, 2026), weaves a powerful family discovery with a deeper reflection on how unexpected truths reshape who we are—and how we love. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark interviews author, editor, and certified book coach Nicole Bross about her co-authored book A NOVEL APPROACH: STRATEGIES FOR ADHD WRITERS. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Toronto Indie Author Conference, taking place in Toronto, ON in April 2026. In the interview, Mark and Nicole talk about: Nicole's background always being interested in writing, along with a love of mysteries such as Nancy Drew and others Taking journalism in high school and also at Mount Royal Her first novel being published in 2019 and how it was near the same time she was first diagnosed with ADHD Published a few articles that lead to her co-author reaching out and suggesting the idea of collaborating on that book The collaboration being done mostly online (Nicole in Alberta, and Kirsten in Vienna) and how they divided the work up while writing into the same Google Doc simultaneously The "every Friday" accountability connections they did along the way The three year period between coming up with the idea to the book being released (in the fall of 2025) The most important message of the book to writers How the combination of being a bright kid with undiagnosed ADHD meant it mostly went un-noticed The book A NOVEL APPROACH: STRATEGIES FOR ADHD WRITERS by Nicole Bross and Kristen Donaghey The manual typewriter collection that Nicole has (which includes about 20 of them) Advice Nicole would offer to writers with ADHD Where an outline can actually prove to be helpful by offering a goal they're reaching toward as well as manageable chunks of achievement Nicole's novel PAST PRESENCE which is a supernatural mystery novel The different timelines Nicole has experienced with traditional publishing and self-publishing And more... After the interview Mark reflects on the importance of asking and the commitment to move forward however slowly. Links of Interest: Nicole Bross's Website Nicole's Website for Authors: Manuscript Alchemy Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this solo episode, Mark shares an article he posted on Substack earlier in March called "Publishing Wide But Shallow." Prior to the main content (the article), Mark shares a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Toronto Indie Author Conference, taking place in Toronto, ON in April 2026. Links of Interest: Article: Nobody Has Read Your Books or Even Heard of You Article: Publishing Wide But Shallow Article: Stretching Before The Writing Run Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this solo episode, Mark reflects on Ireland, the importance/value of repeating information and sharing, and the Public Lending Rights program. Prior to the interview Mark shares a word from this episode's sponsors. This episode is partially sponsored by Toronto Indie Author Conference, taking place in Toronto, ON in April 2026. This episode is partially sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. Links of Interest: Public Lending Right Canada PLR International Article: Nobody Has Read Your Books or Even Heard of You Article: Publishing Wide But Shallow Article: Stretching Before The Writing Run Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews novelist, memoirist, and professional story whisperer Roz Morris about her writing life and her pivot into writing memoirs alongside her fiction. Prior to the interview Mark shares a brief personal update a word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In the interview Mark and Roz talk about: How Roz and Mark first met at the London Book Fair in 2012 What Roz writes and the types of stories that she loves and is fascinated with Roz's journey which includes experience working in a publishing company and meeting and marrying another writer The red leather-bound VISITORS book that Roz was given and she used for notes when she went on holiday, and how her husband convinced her to put those into a book Roz's new book TURN RIGHT AT THE RAINBOW: A Diary of Househunting, Happenstance, Home The concept of a house that holds within its structure and walls all the people and stories that took place within it and how that ties in to the story of Roz and her husband's search for a new home How it's very hard to remember how you saw something for the first time The way Roz decides what stories are going to make it into a particular memoir How museums out of season can be great because of the passion that you can witness in the employees The next memoir that Roz is currently "collecting" in the background How in a novel Roz can inhabit a lot of people in different ways Advice Roz would have moving from memoir to fiction and vice versa After the interview Mark reflects on a few things Roz mentioned as well as something her advice reminded him of. He also rambles a bit longer than normal. Links of Interest: Roz Morris Website Roz's latest book: TURN RIGHT AT THE RAINBOW Mark's Books in the Smashwords READ AN EBOOK WEEK sale Article: Publishing Wide But Shallow Article: Stretching Before The Writing Run Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises Roz Morris is a novelist, memoirist, and professional story whisperer. She's the author of acclaimed literary novels with BIG emotional canvases, and memoirs that find meaning in unadventures. She's also a developmental editor and writing coach and has helped shape books that have sold more than four million copies—some of those from behind the scenes as a ghostwriter. She's also the creator of the Nail Your Novel series for writers and the blog of the same name. She's judged literary prizes including the Amazon Kindle Storyteller Award and Vine Leaves Press New Voices competition, and has taught masterclasses for The Guardian in London and Jane Friedman's online academy. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews author Julie Hiner about creating an unforgettable book event for a book launch. Prior to the interview Mark shares a brief personal update a word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In the interview Mark and Julie talk about: Julie's branding as being strongly tied to the 80s and music even though she fought it at first The first book Julie published about road biking (JUST A GIRL ON A BIKE) which was the story of how she overcame a lot of fears and anxiety and the donations she makes with sales of that book The 21 switch-backs on the road biking in France that became the 21 steps in Julie's book The value of learning so much about self-publishing when Julie attender her first When Words Collide conference Julie's ongoing obsession with true crime, serial killers, and 80s metal Interacting with and interviewing Homicide Detective Dave Sweet Julie's books in the Detective Mahoney series that started with the book FINAL TRACK The original venue Julie used for her first book and the newer one she has partnered with The special VIP pre-order packages Julie makes available The way the collaboration with the musicians work, including Julie creating lyrics for the bands to adapt into songs How horror is a really safe place to explore extremely dark things Studies that show that aggressive music can help calm the brain The creepiest serial killer that came up in the research Julie did Some of the things authors should consider when looking at their branding After the interview Mark shares about an event Julie has coming up in April 2026, and then talks about the importance of pulling out atmospheric elements from the book/story/characters/setting as well as the idea of writing with authenticity and passion. Links of Interest: Julie Hiner's Website Stella's Scream Book Launch Just a Girl and a Bike Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises Julie Hiner spent her childhood lost in the pages of books. The only thing that took precedence was her Walkman. She is still an 80s rocker. On a break from her career as a computer scientist, she published an inspirational book about facing fears by cycling up mountains. Julie now writes horror/suspense infused with heavy metal. She has published a serial killer series, three horror novellas, co-curated an anthology, and had short stories published. She recently had a deep-sea horror novella published by Torrid Waters of Crystal Lake Publishing. You can find her at KillersAndDemons.com serving up metal and murder. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews Daryn Brito, an advocate, writer, and researcher dedicated to supporting those who have faced trauma and adversity about her work and her new book THE BECOMING: UNREPEATABLE MIRACLE, WHO ARE YOU? Prior to the interview Mark shares a brief personal update a word from this episode's sponsor, and a trigger warning for listeners. This episode is sponsored by Toronto Indie Author Conference, taking place in Toronto, ON in April 2026. In the interview, Mark and Daryn about: Mark first meeting Daryn in a class at the Waterloo Regional Police Citizen's Academy How Daryn's main goal when doing speaking engagements is to start in a way to humilify herself first to help demonstrate her humanity and put the audience at ease The importance of taking her academic study and leveraging it in a way that the average person can understand it How Daryn is currently doing two simultaneous Masters programs in preparation for her Phd The specific therapy models that Daryn is focusing on in her study The undergrad study Daryn did showing that only 3% of people who were in foster care attempt post-secondary education - this is usually due to lack of support How, growing up, school was the one area where Daryn had a sense of control, and how she focused hard in that realm Regularly being told that her heart is too big for her own good Daryn's early childhood experiences, starting with her mother's experience while pregnant with Daryn The first time of having to go to court and testify as a victim of sexual assault at the age of twelve Being a primary caregiver to younger siblings and struggling with a strong/high empathy Deciding she had finally had enough of living in a situation filled with IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) Getting involved in helping to train police officers in better understanding trauma related to IPV Initially mistrusting the police, particularly due to the environment she grew up in How the investigating detective in Daryn's case was one of the most compassionate human being Daryn had ever met in her life The deciding factor in making the police report not being about Daryn getting hurt again, but her feeling responsible for the possibility of other people getting hurt How if it weren't for Daryn's heart for others, she wouldn't be here today Doing a lot of speaking for police at the academy for those being trained in IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) The journals Daryn had always kept which helped provide the fruit for the creation of her book THE BECOMING The importance of breaking down the walls we put up, knowing that it's safe to open your heart to the world again The various groups who have purchased Daryn's group in order to help other people Choosing a release date for her book as her ex-abuser's parole hearing day as a way to make that day brighter What Daryn would say to someone who is or has faced adversity or trauma The incredible "basic needs" special housing program/project that Daryn is looking at The value of showing up with love and compassion After the interview Mark reflects on the concepts of compassion and empathy and the importance of recognizing multiple viewpoints and environments unique to different people. Links of Interest: Daryn Brito Website Waterloo Regional Police Flashpoint TV Series Superstars Writing Seminars Stark Reflections on Pushing for Better (Team Landing Page) CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association) Mental Health Meter What's Your Stress Index? Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises Daryn Brito is an advocate, writer, and researcher dedicated to supporting those who have faced trauma and adversity. Through her work, she empowers individuals and strives for systemic change. What makes Daryn's journey so remarkable, is how she turns her lived experiences into transformative wisdom. So through her compelling public talks, her insightful research and her book The Becoming: unrepeatable miracle, who are you? Daryn challenges us to question who we are beneath all the labels, and invites us to step into our most authentic, f

In this episode Mark interviews Ka-Yee Essoe about the power of stories to instil empathy, resilience, joy, and hope, based on her experiences in the academic world, in research, in teaching, and in writing an epic fantasy novel. Prior to the interview Mark shares a brief personal update and word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Toronto Indie Author Conference, taking place in Toronto, ON in April 2026. In the interview, Mark and Ka-Yee talk about: Mark and Ka-Yee's connection to Joshua EssoeKa-Yee's background with two different careers in academia Studying how to help people learn therapeutic techniques better Starting her creative writing journey in 2021 How this story (that became the first of a trilogy she is writing) started to unfold in her head as dialogue 128,000 words of the first draft coming out in about 2 months of writing Ka-Yee's move into an academic teaching role, which is something she's always wanted to do One of the classes that Ka-Yee co-teaches for writers HEXACO - the six-dimension personality test Some of the opposite-character writing exercises that derive from this test Debunking Myers-Briggs because it's not as science-based Ka-Yee's desire to help writers to write who has some sort of disability Helping students understand what therapy looks like and how to depict that relationship Techniques on how to learn memory enhancement How to evaluate routines and your process as a writer The problem with getting into a habit of doing things a certain way and missing out on how to make it better Ka-Yee not realizing she had ADHD until she was an adult The side-effect of suffering from long Covid The concept of deliberate rest Applying the scientific principle to writing an epic fantasy novel How people tend to have two different careers in their life The Kickstarter that Ka-Yee is running for her new book SHAZZWICK OF LAND VOL1: Time Becomes Relevant Aaron Fors as the talented narrator for the audiobook version What Ka-Yee's book is about How she sees the world differently now that she has written this novel After the interview Mark shares a few reflections inspired by the interview. Notes from Ka-Yee as mentioned in the interview: Guidance I provided students to create their own weekly evaluation on their writing process Before you begin, I encourage you to take stalk of your current process. What's your goal, what's your why, what works/doesn't, how often do you write, what resources do you need -- not what you WANT it to be, but what it is now. Then create a survey using the guideline below. Answer the questions now as your baseline, then check in every week (ideally on the same day), revise the questions as you go. There is no wrong way to do this. These can be any format as you see fit, or a combination of. You can make the questions open-ended, some form of rating scales (e.g., rate from 0 to 10, or 1 = Completely Disagree to 5 = Complete Agree), multiple choice, or fill in the blanks. Just don't get too attached, you should be adjusting these as your process evolves or as life encroaches. Ask yourself 6-10 (ish) questions 1-3 questions on what you did in the past week: e.g., did you change/stick with your process? did try something new? how did it go? were you able to stick to it? 2-3 questions on how "productive" or "successful" you are--but remember, every one's measure of success is different. E.g., how much did you write? how good were the writing? how brave were you in sharing your work with others? how zen you were about taking feedback. 2-3 questions on how you are flourishing vs languishing: e.g., do I have mental space to do OTHER things I love? Did I spend time with people who matter to me? Did I feel my life has purpose, joy, satisfaction, and meaning? Last question: ask yourself something that gets to the "why" of your creative endeavour. WHY did you write this week? Did you remember to keep your eyes on that which drives you and keeps you up at night when you forget it. That which makes your writing something that you must do. (okay, then the last last question: do I need to revise these questions for next week?) The most important thing is: again, update these questions as you go. This needs to be a living document, otherwise you aren't giving yourself room to grow and learn. Links of Interest: Snow Quill Press The Novel: Shazzwick of Land, Vol. 1: Time Becomes Relevant Kickstarter for Shazzwick of Land Vol 1 HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised (by Drs. Lee and Ashton (2009, 2018)) HEXACO is a 6-factor personality test that measures personality across six dimensions: Honesty-humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness. There's also a bonus trait, Altruism, that pools from subscales within the 6 larger traits. The Big Five Personality Inventory (by Goldberg (1992)) The Big Five is probably the most widely used personality test in psychology. It measures personality across five dimensions, often forming

In this short solo episode Mark shares a "Rambling Reflection From The Road" while at Superstars Writing Seminars talking about the important signals that seemed to come at the right time: Your feelings are valid Your opinions matter You are irreplaceable Your best is enough It's okay to take a break You are loved Links of Interest: EP 459 - Creating Experiences in Art and Story with Tanya Hales Superstars Writing Seminars James A. - Everything is Signal Stark Reflections on Pushing for Better (Team Landing Page) CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association) Mental Health Meter What's Your Stress Index? Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark interviews author and artist Tanya Hales. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, comments from recent episodes, and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In the interview Mark and Tanya talk about: When Tanya and Mark first met: at Superstars Writing Seminars The sketch that Tanya made of Mark at SSWS when he was speaking there Identifying herself as equal parts author and illustrator The value of CREATING EXPERIENCES with people How long Tanya has been creating art and how her mother was instrumental in getting her into art The "nature-based" element and love of animals that are recurring in Tanya's art Writing novels in spiral-ring notebooks by the time of Fifth Grade The first time Tanya put her art out into the world at the age of sixteen Handy and helpful resources available to Tanya in her high school The "Doodle Dudes" that Tanya had created back then Doing a lot more digital art lately for logistical parental reasons How one of Tanya's skills is being able to adapt to new things relatively easily Being in different modes, such as writing, editing, art Various Kickstarter projects Tanya has done and is currently doing The Animal Magica Coloring Books Tanya has created Why Tanya thinks that it's evitable that she creates the way she does The first full-length novel in the Animal Magica universe The first cozy fantasy novel that Tanya recently released After the interview Mark reflections on passion and creating experiences. Links of Interest: Tanya Hales Website Tanya's Substack Article: "It Was Inevitable" Tanya's "Go, Writer, Go" - Humorous Parody Book for Writers Kickstarter Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises When Tanya Hales was a baby, she enjoyed books by chewing them to pieces before eventually moving on to the higher art of reading. Tanya splits her time between her work as a writer, an illustrator, and a mother, all of which she loves intensely. She now lives in Utah with her husband and four children, illustrating coloring books, writing YA fantasy, making cute stickers, and daydreaming constantly about imaginary worlds. Tanya is the creator of YA epic fantasy as well as the Animal Magica fantasy coloring book series, books made in collaboration with dozens of other authors who contributed beautiful short stores to pair with the art. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this brief bonus episode Mark shares an annual "Push for Better" Push-Up challenge he has joined for the third Feb in a row and the fact he has created a team that others can join. The Push-Up Challenge is one that combines fun physical activity (2000 pushups between Feb 5 and Feb 27, 2026) with support for Mental Health Awareness and fundraising. Team Landing Page: Stark Reflections on Pushing for Better The Canadian version of this program raises funds for CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association). Links of Interest: Stark Reflections on Pushing for Better (Team Landing Page) CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association) Mental Health Meter What's Your Stress Index? Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews Scott from The Patrick Scott Patterson Project Podcast. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, comments from recent episodes, and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In the interview Mark and Scott talk about: How Scott got into the current numerous roles that he is participating in today, including podcasting Being inspired by the dreams that his parents had but which they pushed off to the side The pro wrestling experience that he did for 10 years The importance of deciding to try Scott's reasoning behind the Patrick Scott Patterson Project How at the end of the day we're all human beings - some folks have just reached for their dreams Interviewing notable celebrities on Scott's podcast Doing the interviews well in advance and having a good 10 episodes in the can already The two year plan that Scott has created for the podcast The positivity in Scott's podcast and what he is doing All the stressful things Scott was going through around the time of the pandemic How Drew Barrymore's new talk show was exactly what Sco needed to get through those hard days The way that Drew Barrymore makes Scott smile - period! How something Barrymore said in one of those episodes really struck with Scott The incredible power of doing/saying even the smallest nice thing such as "have a nice day" which can make a huge difference in someone else's life How Scott feels better himself when he's being kind to someone Meeting Drew Barrymore on her 50th Birthday episode taping after more than 42 years of first seeing her with his mom when he was 7 and they went to see E.T. Some of the favorite moments on Scott's podcast Advice Scott would offer to writers who haven't yet put their work out into the world How Scott first got on Collector's Call because of a fluffy news story from 5 years earlier Gary K Wolf's story about how many times his book "Who Wacked Roger Rabbit" was repeatedly rejected over the years. He never gave up, and it's, incidentally his most well-known book. The movie adaptation would never have happened After the interview Mark reflects on a few things that Scott said about positivity, creating "comfort food" moments, and the importance of having things out there and how it can lead to opportunities. Links of Interest: Patrick Scott Patterson's Website YouTube Channel CBC - Cost of Living - How Scholastic Book Fairs Became Tight With Canadian Schools Mini Trailer for LOVER'S MOON (Romantic Comedy) Full Audio of LOVER'S MOON Read by the Authors (YouTube) Patreon Post (Free for anyone to read): I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up Again! Substack article: Eight Years, 452 Episodes, And One Important Lesson Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises Patrick Scott Patterson is a Texas-based pop culture personality, video game historian, and podcaster. Over the decades, he's moved from professional wrestling rings to television cameras, working with G4tv to produce the first-ever live arcade world record broadcast. He has appeared in documentaries like Nintendo Quest and on MeTV's Collector's Call. He's spoken at San Diego Comic-Con and SXSW, and runs Hyperspace Arcade Repair out of Denton, Texas, where he keeps vintage arcade machines alive for collectors. In 2025, Scott launched The Patrick Scott Patterson Project, a podcast about chasing goals and following unexpected paths—inspired by finally meeting his lifelong celebrity crush, Drew Barrymore, which taught him that the dreams we pursue have a way of opening doors we never anticipated. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this solo episode, Mark reads a new article entitled: The Published Novelist Saves Schrödinger's Cat! How to Improve the Odds Before You Open the Box—OR—What Writers Can Control While Their Book's Fate Remains Uncertain Links of Interest: Substack Article Link The Dialogue Doctor Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews Tara Cremin, Director of Kobo Writing Life about Kobo, Kobo Plus, and the self-publishing platform Kobo Writing Life (KWL). Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and Tara talk about: Tara's background and how she got into the reading/writing world and Kobo Kobo's distinct identity as a platform that is exclusively dedicated to READING How Kobo is the 2nd largest seller of eReading devices in the world Kobo releasing 1 to 2 devices a year and the importance of a distraction-free reading experience The Kobo Clara Colour and the Kobo Libra Colour devices The option of connecting your Google Drive and OverDrive (AKA Libby) library account to a Kobo device for seamless reading of your personal content and library books Being able to add different colours to your highlights when making notes on your Kobo Tara's advice for readers who've not yet attempted a "digital reading diet" The "forever reading" option that now exists within the Kobo reading experience The self-publishing platform Kobo Writing Life and how it's designed to making the publishing process as painless as possible What listeners can expect to hear on the Kobo Writing Life Podcast Kobo Writing Life's "worst-kept secret" of the marketing tab/tool A little bit about how Kobo Plus works for authors The growth in revenue of Kobo Plus around the world in the past few years (it's now available in 28 countries) Partnering with a publisher in Portugal to create a subscription service The importance for authors of always thinking about Kobo in a global sense The value that comes with being in front of the most engaged readers And more... After the interview Mark reflects on numerous things about Kobo that authors should consider when thinking about marketing their books (as well as the amazing people who work there) Links of Interest: Kobo Kobo Writing Life KWL Blog KWL Podcast Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises Tara Cremin is the Director of Kobo Writing Life (KWL), Kobo's self-publishing platform. Combining her love for books with a decade of indie publishing expertise, she champions independent authors. Tara is focused on making KWL the most intuitive, author-friendly platform, helping authors reach readers globally. Leading a team of book enthusiasts, she also hosts live events featuring authors and industry experts, sparking engaging conversations and is a regular voice on the Kobo Writing Life Podcast. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews award-winning author Darcy Pattison about publishing childrens' books. In their conversation, Mark and Darcy talk about: Darcy's background on getting into being an author of children's book The 70 books Darcy has written in the past 13 years The number of different illustrators Darcy has worked with over the years The Moments in Science picture books Darcy has written with along with the specific illustrator who has worked on a dozen of those titles with her The books for authors Darcy is releasing in January 2026 that collect details about the current state of publishing for children's books The challenge of doing layout for a children's picture book The importance of an author being clear on their own definition of success How children's book authors can find the right illustrator and/or designer How Darcy fulfills orders online for her books Getting her books into education distributors (Follett, etc - Follett can order their books through Ingram) The EPIC app and how Darcy earns money from it The various reviews Darcy gets, including paid Kirkus reviews (which are important) Who you are writing for versus who you are selling to when it comes to kids books Fiction VS Non-Fiction The importance/difference of being good at illustration versus being good at text (or even layout) The challenge of scaling up things like school visits The benefit of finding places that will sell a kids' book in bulk And more... After the interview Mark reflects on the unique element of the two audiences for childrens' books, as well as the efficient business mind-set Darcy adopted in her approach to how to grow a more scaleable author business. Links of Interest: Indie Kids Books Mims House Books Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0