Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

In this episode Mark interviews author Susie Moloney about her life writing horror, the trajectory of her career through writing novels, scripts, and screenplays, and her latest screenplay with director/collaborator Robert Cuffley, BRIGHT HILL ROAD. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes as well as a personal update. He also shares a word from this episode's sponsor.You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Susie and Mark talk about: How Susie has been a writer her entire life, had started writing short stories and then discovered that her stories were "getting longer" which eventually evolved into novels Susie's "practice novel" ESCAPE OF THE MINOTAUR which was an attempt to see if she could sustain an idea for a novel-length work How that first novel led to getting an agent The origin of Susie's first novel, BASTION FALLS, which was originally released in 1995 and how it was inspired by Leaf Rapids, Manitoba Susie's A DRY SPELL, and what inspired the novel The parallel lives that Susie and Stephen King have How a leak of the manuscript of A DRY SPELL lead to multiple book and film options The fact that Susie was rolling coins to pay the phone bill when her film agent called to let her know about the 7 figure offer for the film option How Susie say the "writing on the wall" as publishing was changing rapidly How the advances were going down from six figure, to five figure, then to four figure How Susie began to collaborate with Robert Cuffley, the director of BRIGHT HILL ROAD and the Award-Winning ROMI The brilliant actress Siobhan Williams who plays Marcy in BRIGHT HILL ROAD Being a woman who writes and embraces horror, including the thought kicked around that her first book be published under S. Moloney Writing a film script specifically for a small cast A few projects that Susie has been recently working on Susie's experience being writer in residence at Edmonton Public Library After the interview Mark reflects on a few of the things Susie spoke about and says thank you to his patrons. Links of Interest Susie Moloney Twitter Susie Moloney Instagram Bright Hill Road (Trailer) ROMI (Trailer) EP 173 - DF Hart on Recovering from Mistakes EP 74 - Perspectives on the Past, Present, and Future of Publishing Findaway Voices Wide Writer Survey Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 D.F. Hart about her journey through indie publishing, the mistakes she has made on that journey and the dramatic results of the decision to do a makeover on her thriller covers. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes as well as a personal update. He also shares a word from this episode's sponsor.You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, DeAnna and Mark discuss: Why DeAnna writes under D.F. Hart and Faith Hart Her first experience publishing through a vanity press in 2010 How that first novel's idea came to her originally in 1989 How March of 2019 was Deanna's first experience publishing fully indie (as opposed to being done through a vanity press outfit) Reader reaction to the balance between law enforcement work and personal/home life in her main character How a supplemental character that Deanna felt sorry for and wanted to see her get a happy ending became the main character for the first book in her romance series Some of the other complicated ways the two series cross over with one another DeAnna's grandmother's advice to learn from the mistakes of others because you can't possibly make all those mistakes on your own The consult that DeAnna booked with Craig over at Hidden Gems and how that led to a discussion that helped her decide to change her covers Coming to the realization that, while her covers were pretty, they weren't right for the genre The book cover designer that DeAnna hired to re-do her thriller book covers The increase in sales and reviews/ratings on all the major retailers How December 2020 was DeAnna's first four figure month as an author, due to the cover update and the BookBub Feature Deal The uptake in newsletter subscribers and BookBub followers that has happened The importance of measuring results, analyzing data, and keeping a finger on the pulse of your business What DeAnna would have told her 2010 self How Vanity Press outfits prey on the lack of information of authors The importance of celebrating all of your successes along the way After the interview, Mark reflects on the decision DeAnna had to make to invest more in covers after having already invested in that in the past. Links of Interest DeAnna's Website Author Facebook Page D.F. Hart BookBub Goodreads Faith Hart BookBub Goodreads DeAnna's Article on Hidden Gems Rocking Book Covers Findaway Voices EP 170 - The Genre of Andrew Pyper EP 169 - The World Needs Your Book With Monica Leonelle EP 166 - Wording Around with Kathy Mac EP 165 - Rude Awakenings from Sleeping Rough EP 162 - Happy Accidents with Joshua Pantallaresco EP 138 - Cash Flow for Creators with Michael W. Lucas EP 127 - Consistency in Word Count with Blaze Ward EP 90 - Craig Martelle on Successful Indie Author Release Strategies Space: 1975 Anthology Wide Writer Survey Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections 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

This special bonus episode of the podcast includes a more than two hour discussion about gender. Jeff Elkins organized this discussion which took place on Saturday, January 9, 2021. Dr. Paz Galupo of Towson University and Carin Galupo join Crys Cain and JP Rindfleisch of the Write Away Podcast, Jeff Elkins and Laura Humm, of The Dialogue Doctor Podcast and Mark Leslie Lefebvre of The Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing Podcast to walk them through Gender Mapping and give insights into how we should understand the complexities of gender. Mark foregoes the regular introductory matter for this episode and moves straight to a word from this episode's sponsor prior to the recorded discussion. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Links of Interest Dr. Paz Galupo The Dialogue Doctor Podcast Jeff Elkins Laura Humm EP 157 - A Conversation with Jeff Elkins Write Away Podcast Crys Cain JP Rindfleish Findaway Voices Wide Writer Survey Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 shares a look at his 2020 goals and accomplishments, as well as a look at the publishing industry. Prior to the main content, Mark shares a word from this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Mark's goals for 2020 included: Audio - Author's Guide to Working with Libraries and Bookstores Audio - Killing it on Kobo Audio - Canadian Werewolf in New York Audio - Stowe Away eBook edition - Stowe Away Print - Stowe Away Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Audio - I, Death Audio - One Hand Screaming Too Macabre for Montreal - eBook Screaming Skulls and Other Haunted Objects Weird Waterloo Other Non-Fiction Paranormal Ghost Story Project New Short Story Collection - Nocturnal Saves -(turned into Nobody's Hero) Exclusive Audio Project Viability of Indie Publishing Insider Secrets Books Publishing Nobody's Hero (Story Collection) - Jan 14, 2020 Taking the Short Tack (Dalrymple) - Jan 31, 2020 Stowe Away (Cdn Werewolf 1.5) - Aug 15, 2020 Unexpected Strangers (Nocturnal Screams #5 - WIDE) - Sept 8, 2020 Thriller Sampler (Tumlinson & Leslie) - Sept 30, 2020 Z is for Zombie (Noctunral Screams #6 - WIDE) - Oct 10, 2020 Too Macabre for Monteral - (Krishnasamy) - Oct 16, 2020 *Strange Sudbury Stories - (Costello, Leslie, Overton) - Oct 20, 2020 Something Wicked (Nocturnal Screams #7 - WIDE) - Oct 26, 2020 Phantom Itch (Nocturnal Screams #8 - WIDE) - Nov 9, 2020 *Beyond Obsessions (Exclusive Kickstarter anthology) *Obsessions (anthology - editor) - Nov 24, 2020 Nocturnal Screams (All 8 Volumes) - Nov 26, 2020 *Rude Awakenings from Sleeping Rough (Peter Mitchell) - December 1, 2020 Mark also shares the rough calculation of percentages of his eBook earnings as well as a look at the industry in general and his thoughts on what's coming soon for authors. Links of Interest Findaway Voices Wide Writer Survey Wide for the Win Submission Form Parodys Stuck in this House Here with You (Music) Isolation Parody Songs - K-Tel (Medley Parody) You Call Me Fever (Music) There Is No Monster Mash (Music) A Christmas Howl (Christmas Carol Dad Joke) Dramatic Exit (Stupid Dad Joke Short) You Better Knock First (Stupid Dad Joke Short) Mark's Tavern (Cheers Parody) A Pandemic Christmas (K-Tel Medley Parody) Sharing Broadband Streams - Collaborative Parody Project The 2020 Aurora Awards Ceremony Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Andrew Pyper, an international award winning Canadian author with novels published in multiple countries and multiple languages, with multiple property options in play, and more interesting creative projects in the works. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update that includes the two book projects due in early 2021 and the potential that he might reschedule one a few weeks back, a "wide writer" survey he has put out as well as a word from this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Andrew and Mark discuss: How Mark first discovered Andrew's work years ago when he was shelving new books in the bookstore he worked at The publishing progression that Andrew experienced, writing short fiction and earning publication credits How a journal/magazine editor Andrew had sold stories to introduced him to a publisher which led to his very first book (1996), which bypassed the normal submission/rejection cycle The cross genre elements of Andrew's novels that incorporate literary, horror, mystery, thriller (which Mark suggests are the "Andrew Pyper" genre) The darkness that exists in all of Andrew's novels Loving the stories of Alice Munro and the intriguing "shadowy" and "danger" elements that exist in her writing The latest short fiction pieces and projects Andrew has been working on Some of the properties that Andrew is involved in licensing How The Residence was based on actual historical details that happened with Franklin Pierce The challenge that can come with over-researching for an author The fun of having some trivia info in your back pocket about the White House being haunted The intriguing architectural layout of the White House and the residence, including passageways and secret doors A special book and audio drama Andrew is releasing via Audible The "writers killing writers" premise in THE KILLING CIRCLE And more... Links of Interest Andrew Pyper's Website Twitter Instagram Facebook Goodreads Findaway Voices Wide Writer Survey Wide for the Win Submission Form EP 157 - A Conversion with Jeff Elkins, The Dialogue Doctor Parodys Stuck in this House Here with You (Music) Isolation Parody Songs - K-Tel (Medley Parody) You Call Me Fever (Music) There Is No Monster Mash (Music) A Christmas Howl (Christmas Carol Dad Joke) Dramatic Exit (Stupid Dad Joke Short) You Better Knock First (Stupid Dad Joke Short) Mark's Tavern (Cheers Parody) Patreon for Stark Reflections Andrew Pyper was born in Stratford, Ontario, in 1968. He received a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from McGill University, as well as a law degree from the University of Toronto. Although called to the bar in 1996, he has never practiced. His most recent novels include The Homecoming (2019), The Only Child (2017), and The Damned (2015). His 2013 novel, The Demonologist, won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Hardcover Novel, and was a #1 bestseller in Canada and Brazil. A number of Pyper's works have been acquired for TV or feature film. The Homecoming is being developed by eOne with Andrew acting as Co-Creator and Executive Producer. Other active projects have not yet been announced. Among the earlier novels, The Guardians was published in Canada (Doubleday Canada) in January 2011, the U.K. (Orion) in February 2011, and following this internationally in various territories. It was selected a Globe and Mail 100 Best Books of the Year. The Killing Circle, Andrew's fourth novel, was a national bestseller in Canada, and has been published in the U.K. (HarperCollins) and U.S. (St. Martin's/Minotaur). Translation rights have been sold in Holland, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Japan. Kiss Me, a collection of short stories, was published to acclaim in 1996. Following its publication, Mr. Pyper acted as Writer-in-Residence at Berton House, Dawson City, Yukon, as well as at Champlain College, Trent University. His first novel, Lost Girls, was a national bestseller in Canada and a Globe and Mail Notable Book selection in 1999 as well as a Notable Book selection in the New York Times Book Review (2000) and the London Evening Standard (2000). The novel won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel and is an Otto Penzler pick on Amazon.com. Lost Girls has been published in the U.S. (Delacorte Press) and U.K. (Macmillan) in 2000, and has also been translated into Italian, Dutch, German and Japanese. Andrew's second novel, The Trade Mission, was published in Canada, the U.K., U.S., the Netherlands and Germany. It was selected by The Toronto Star as one of the Ten Best Books of the Year. Andrew's third novel, The Wildfire Season, was a Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year and has been published to acclaim in the U.K., Canada, U.S. and Holland. Andrew's creative writing teaching experience includes terms at Trent University, the University of Toronto, and

In this episode Mark shares an interview with Monica Leonelle, a USA Today bestselling author best known for her young adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance series, Waters Dark and Deep. She also teaches writing, publishing, business, and marketing at TheWorldNeedsYourBook.com. Her most recent nonfiction series, Growth Hacking for Storytellers, has helped thousands of writers write faster, become better storytellers, and find their way to success. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal, update, some comments and a few words about this episode's sponsors. These details include Commentary on Robin Cutler joining LMBPN Thoughts about publishing trends and future predictions (based on insightful comments from patrons) A bit about Mark's early writing history, Tough Guys Big Adventure and a stupid Dad Joke video short Sponsors: Findaway Voices and Clark Chamberlan's Author Hustle You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. During their conversation Monica and Mark talk about: Monica's start in self-publishing back in 2009 in non-fiction How Monica's first book on social media for corporations allowed her to shift from software engineering to social media marketing Wanting to buy a domain called "howtobeanauthor" but Joanna Penn got it first The era of self-publishing when Amanda Hawking first exploded onto the scene Monica's first fiction book, Silver Smoke, which was not written to market, but still sold 5000 copies The "early days" of eBook publishing, which often involved learning html coding How learning to write fast was the next major turning point in Monica's writing career Some of the fundamental marketing practices that Monica recommends How books like Twilight and The Martian are written to super-specific genres, but with some high level story structures that are universal The importance of psychological triggers in a story How Monica has divided up her time working on three different types of writing and multiple author names/brands Trends that Monica has been tracking in the writing industry Some of the things going on with different reading apps outside the major retailers How Monica leverages different tools to sell direct, and her enthusiasm about being able to do bundling of eBook/Audio/Print via direct website sales The interesting history and secrets of the old house that Monica lives in And more... After the interview, Mark reflects on Monica's long term experience within indie publishing, and the important of persistence and sticking it out for the long run. Links of Interest: Monica Leonelle Main Website The World Needs Your Book Special Courses from Monica (for Early 2021) Solo Storm Books Card Reading Queen Kobo Writing Life NaNoWriMo Promo (use coupon code NANO2020) Findaway Voices Clark Chamberlan's Stock Up Author Hustle Offer LMBPN Press Release about Robin Cutler Wide for the Win Submission Form A Christmas Howl (Christmas Carol Dad Joke) Patreon for Stark Reflections Monica Leonelle is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her young adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance series, Waters Dark and Deep. She also teaches writing, publishing, business, and marketing at TheWorldNeedsYourBook.com. Her most recent nonfiction series, Growth Hacking for Storytellers, has helped thousands of writers write faster, become better storytellers, and find their way to success. She also founded The World Needs Your Book event series to bring this training to the world. Before becoming an independent author, Monica led digital marketing efforts at Inc. 100 companies like Hansen's Natural and Braintree. She's been an avid blogger of marketing and business trends since 2007. Her ideas have been featured in AdAge, The Huffington Post, Forbes, Inc., the AMEX OpenForum, GigaOm, Mashable, Social Media Today, and the Christian Science Monitor. Monica lives in a very, very old, 3-story home in St. Louis, MO with her husband and adorable westie, Mia. It possibly has ghosts. And definitely has a secret passage. To find out what she's up to and get access to her latest fiction updates, exclusive giveaways, advanced review copies, and more, sign up at MonicaLeonelle.com. 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 David Farland, a New York Times bestselling and multi-award-winning author, who has written for major franchises such as Star Wars and The Mummy, and mentored dozens who have gone on to staggering literary success, including Brandon Mull, Brandon Sanderson, and Stephenie Meyer. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, comments from recent episodes, and a word from this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and David talk about: How David started writing when he was 17 years old, but didn't get serious about it until the age of about 25/26 Deciding he wanted to win a short story contest, and how that led to winning the Grand Prize at Writers of the Future and how that led to a traditional publishing offer which led to a bestseller (On My Way To Paradise) which also won the Philip K. Dick Special Memorial Award His role as the Coordinating Judge of The Writers and Illustrators of the Future writing contest Why David spends so much time helping to prop up and support beginning writers Different game-related stories David has been involved in, including a new game-related story David has coming out in 24 different languages The problem with writers who don't see things in the long term and in the global market The way that Hollywood options work for writers and the money that can be earned on movies that never get made (such as Isaac Asimov's Foundation series) The fact that Philip K Dick's short stories usually have about 100 options in place at any given time (Dick's stories have been made into movies such as "Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, Screamers, Paycheck, A Scanner Darkly, and The Man in the High Castle) Why David created the Apex Writer's Group - the importance of authors educating and inspiring each other Some of the sensations that David was behind, including Stephanie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, James Dashner, Dan Wells, and even the push of Rowling's Harry Potter novels The origin of the pseudonym David Farland And more... After the interview, Mark reflects on the concept of casting a wide net and keeping that net out there, via an example David had shared of an author who gave up, and then years later her books hit it big. Links of Interest: David Farland's Website My Story Doctor (Website for Writers) Apex Writer's Group Writers & Illustrators of the Future Superstars Writing Seminars Episode 167 - Author, Author, Give Me The News with Laura Hayden Episode 166 - Wording Around with KathyMac Episode 164 - Reflections on The Creative Penn Podcast Kobo Writing Life NaNoWriMo Promo (use coupon code NANO2020) Mark's Tavern (Opening Theme Song - Cheers Parody) Mark's Tavern - Pilot Episode (Cheers Parody) Ghost Stories from the Winking Judge (Video) Spirits Untapped: The Winking Judge Obsessions: An Anthology of Original Fiction Rude Awakenings from Sleeping Rough Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections David Farland is an award-winning, international bestselling author with over 50 novels in print. He has won the Philip K. Dick Memorial Special Award for "Best Novel in the English Language" for his science fiction novel On My Way to Paradise, the Whitney Award for "Best Novel of the Year" for his historical novel In the Company of Angels, and many more awards for his work. He is best known for his New York Times bestselling fantasy series The Runelords. Farland has written for major franchises such as Star Wars and The Mummy. He has worked in Hollywood greenlighting movies and doctoring scripts. He has been a movie producer, and he has even lived in China working as a screenwriter for a major fantasy film franchise. As a writing instructor, Farland has mentored dozens who have gone on to staggering literary success, including such #1 New York Times Bestsellers as Brandon Mull (Fablehaven), Brandon Sanderson (Wheel of Time), and Stephenie Meyer (Twilight). Farland judges L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future, one of the largest worldwide writing competitions for new fantasy and science fiction authors. The contest has helped discover and launch many authors into professional careers, with nearly 100 new science fiction and fantasy books released in just the last year. In the video game industry, he has been both a designer and a scripter and was the co-leader on the design team for StarCraft: Brood War. He set the Guinness World Record for the largest single-author, single-book signing. David Farland has been hailed as "The wizard of storytelling" and his work has been called "compelling," "engrossing," "powerful," "profound," and "ultimately life-changing." The introductory, end, and bumper mus

In this episode, Mark interviews author and bookseller Laura Hayden, who is the co-founder and owner of Author-Author an experimental retail bookshop that deals in online sales, special events, books for writers and books for authors. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word from this episode's sponsor . . . You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Mark also welcomes new Patron Melissa Yi and shares a personal update that includes a couple of talks he gave to library groups in the past week, as well as a few Kobo promotions he is participating in. Mark reminds listeners they can get the following books via Kobo until the end of 2020 by using the coupon code NANO2020 at checkout: The Indie Author Mindset – Adam Croft Dear Writer, You Need to Quit – Becca Syme The 7 P's of Publishing Success – Mark Leslie Lefebvre Let's Get Digital: How to Self-Publish and Why You Should – David Gaughran In their conversation, Mark and Laura talk about: Laura's introduction to books by being an early avid reader The librarian who took Laura by the hand and guided her through the incredible journey through reading The effect of a constant travel life of being a military family on maintaining a reliable career Laura's initial entry into bookselling by walking into a bookstore and offering to help part-time Laura's return to bookselling by offering to volunteer in a bookstore and fixing two of their sections that she saw could use some help Learning about the Harlequin Intrigue imprint and how Laura sold her first novel to them on her very first submission The steps Laura took by spotting opportunities related to books, bookselling, and bookstores The origin of opening up her first physical bookstore How the bookstore only lasted 2 years and went into significant debt because there wasn't a cash-for-trade option How Laura has accounts with 18 larger publishers and 44 small publishers, not to mention Ingram, the world's largest wholesale book distributor The non-returnable account Laura has with most publishers, which allows her to offer authors a deep discount on book purchases How Laura works within a 6 to 9% margin in her business and that she's been doing it since 2007 The way that Laura works with conferences and other organizations for selling authors books at events The fact that Laura works 1:1 with all of her clients The impact of running this bookstore on Laura's career as a writer Working as a ghost writer The Laurence Saunders ghost writer scandal The Ella Vaughn pseudonym that Laura is co-authoring with another writer The discounts that a bookstore sees when you set different discounts via Ingram Spark or other print on demand services The insights Laura has into some "publishers" that writers are considering working with What you get with a paid listing in Ingram's monthly ADVANCE magazine Something that Laura wishes all authors would understand about bookstores when considering carrying their books The way a successful indie publishing author has worked successfully with a large indie bookstore After the interview Mark reflects on some of the insights Laura shared but also on how her personal writing took a back-seat to the business she operates in helping writers. Links of Interest: Author-Author Laura's Author Website Superstars Writing Seminars Kobo Writing Life NaNoWriMo Promo (use coupon code NANO2020) Obsessions: An Anthology of Original Fiction Rude Awakenings from Sleeping Rough Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Let It Snow Audiobook Event (Blog Post - Findaway) Mark's Blog Post about Let It Snow Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Laura started reading at the age of four and in six short years, exhausted the children's section of the local branch library. She switched to adult mysteries and science fiction and never looked back. Trained as an engineer, she continued to write "for fun" until one day, she decided to write "for real." Since. as a kid, when she wasn't reading, she was watching TV, her seventeen books and short stories straddle multiple fiction genres and include vivid characters with action, suspense and humor. Her latest book, DARKWOOD CROSSING: Bailey, the Critter Sitter, is a middle grade collaboration written with Yvonne Jocks under the pseudonym of Ella Vaughn. Laura's latest short story under her own name is "The Ghost of Dogwood," the 10th entry in the popular multi-author "Dogwood Series." Having traveled across the US as a military spouse, Laura now resides (permanently!) in Colorado with her husband and two dogs. She's one of the founders of Pikes Peak Writers, its first president and has been the director of its conference an unprecedented eight times. To learn more abou

In this episode Mark interviews Poet and teacher Kathy Mac who lives in Fredericton NB, Canada and teaches creative writing at St. Thomas University along with one of her students, Neomi about a book project, Wording Around with Prose, and the course it originated from. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word from this episode's sponsor . . . You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Mark also shares comments from recent episodes and a personal update, which include the following: A walk through of the Draft2Digital payment splitting A talk about the writing and publishing Mark will be doing for Susie Moloney, the Writer in Residence for Edmonton Public Library on Dec 8, 2020. (It's free to attend but you can email [email protected] to register The Let It Snow Audiobook Giveaway #snowaudio2020 Working on adding courses to his Stark Publishing Teachable platform During the interview, Mark, Kathy, and Neomi discuss: How Kathy got into academia in 2002 after a start in literary publishing The additions Kathy helped usher into the university, including the course on Literary Publishing Neomi's background in theatre and how that ties into her passion for poetry, prose, and script writing The strong and tight-knit artistic community in Fredericton - Getting into the desired course without having the pre-requisites, and the importance of trying and asking when you're passionate about something Details about the make-up and layout of the course How the course has evolved as digital publishing has grown The decision of the class to use Draft2Digital for the eBook, and how they came to that conclusion Where the manuscript that was published came from and how it was adapted into the course and the work that the students did The cancellation of the Wordspring conference and how that led to the origin of this course The different assignments that student groups worked on in the publishing of this book Creation of the video book trailer to help support the marketing of the book Neomi's learnings of the process and what surprised her about the business of publishing How we tend to minimize the amount of work that other people do The way the title "Wording Around" was inspired from a blog from writer A.J. Ripley and their blog What is next for Wording Around Press How there was a plan for making a partially-hand-crafted print version of the book, but how the second wave of Covid-19 ramped up, preventing that from happening And more . . . After the interview Mark shares a few reflections and thoughts about the conversation and the project. Then he welcomes new patron Tessa Smith McGovern and thanks all patrons for supporting this podcast at www.patreon.com/starkreflections. Links of Interest: Kathy Mac's Website Wording Around with Prose Facebook Twitter Instagram Episode 165 - Rude Awakenings from Sleeping Rough Episode 164 - Reflections on The Creative Penn Podcast Episode 517 Episode 163 - Getting a Creative Edge with Mickey Mikkelson Kobo Writing Life NaNoWriMo Promo (use coupon code NANO2020) Obsessions: An Anthology of Original Fiction Rude Awakenings from Sleeping Rough Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Let It Snow Audiobook Event (Blog Post - Findaway) Mark's Blog Post about Let It Snow Books2Read Draft2Digital Payment Splitting Video Walk-Thru Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 special shorter episode of the podcast, Mark talks about a book that he has published via his Stark Publishing imprint written by a friend who found himself homeless in London, England. Mark shares the origin of the book and why he is publishing it, as well as some of the mechanics and logistics surrounding the distribution of the eBook and print editions. He also reads an excerpt from the chapter "Down and Out in London." Rude Awakenings from Sleeping Rough Peter C. Mitchell Hardcover ISBN: 9781989351413 Print ISBN: 9781989351376 eBook ISBN: 9781989351383 Links of Interest: Rude Awakenings from Sleeping Rough (Universal Book Link) Rude Awakenings (Hardcover - via Author, Author) Rude Awakenings (Paperback - via Author, Author) A Different Drummer Bookstore (Burlington, Ontario) Patreon for Stark Reflections 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

This is a special "Reflections on Other Podcasts" style episode. Mark reflects on Episode 517 of The Creative Penn Podcast, where Joanna Penn interviews Holly Worton. The description from that episode, which is highly recommended that you listen to is this: How can you prevent self-doubt and fear from blocking your creative expression? What if you've built an audience for your books, but then you want to change direction? Joanna Penn discusses these issues and more with Holly Worton in Episode 517 (November 23, 2020) of The Creative Penn Podcast. Holly Worton is the author of 17 nonfiction and self-help books about business mindset and personal growth, as well as on walking and the wisdom of trees and nature. She's also the host of the Into the Woods podcast. Prior to the episode's main content, Mark shares comments from previous episodes, a word from this episode's sponsor . . . You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Mark also shares a personal update, which includes. Progression on NaNoWriMo The launch of the OBSESSIONS anthology Publishing another book (unexpectedly) - Nocturnal Screams Vols 1 to 8 The forthcoming release of RUDE AWAKENINGS FROM SLEEPING ROUGH by Peter C. Mitchell Links of Interest: Episode 517 of The Creative Penn Podcast: Business Mindset and Pivoting Your Author Career with Holly Worton The Creative Penn Holly Worton Mark's NaNoWriMo Profile Episode 163 - Getting a Creative Edge with Mickey Mikkelson Episode 32 - Hybrid Author Publishing with C. C. Humphreys Kobo Writing Life NaNoWriMo Promo (use coupon code NANO2020) Obsessions: An Anthology of Original Fiction Rude Awakenings from Sleeping Rough Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Books2Read Draft2Digital Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Mickey Mikellson of Creative Edge Publicity - a boutique publicity firm specializing in arranging events such as book signings, library or school presentations, online and print media opportunities, and many other events related to the arts in general. Mickey and his firm are advocates for both the traditional and independent artist. Prior to the interview, Mark shares some recent comments from listeners, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and Mickey talk about: The last time Mark interviewed Mickey, for the Kobo Writing Life podcast in Calgary at When Words Collide What Creative Edge Publicity does and how they work with authors in terms of setting up interviews, chats, appearances, articles, etc, since 2016 How it had been Robert J. Sawyer, Mickey's first traditionally published author, who introduced Mark to Mickey How Creative Edge Publicity went full-time in September 2020 and doubled their client base in less than a month How Mickey got into the business The typical services and connections that Creative Edge offers to their clients The reality of not being able to guarantee sales, but working on long term building-blocks of opportunities Some of the differences now that this business is operating full time The rewarding experience of getting to work with highly intelligent and creative individuals on a daily basis The difference between a publisher's in-house publicist and an independent publicist Mickey's preference towards creating and continuing to build a relationship with an author who is a client, versus short-term, one-off projects The ability to continue to publicize back-list titles versus the three month window of publicity that comes with traditional publishing The first conversation with potential clients in terms of determining the fit, which is typically one hour How Mickey signs authors not based on the content of their books, but more on their personality and how they might fit well within the larger team of clients The perspective of the entire client basis of Creative Edge being a team or extended family The typical budget range an author working with Creative Edge would be looking at The results-based charges currently used for billing clients The value of attracting a reader-based audience versus a mass media based audience Some of the misconceptions authors have about publicists Links of Interest: Creative Edge Publicity Facebook Twitter Mark's NaNoWriMo Profile Episode 162 - Happy Accidents with Joshua Pantalleresco Episode 161 - NaNo No-No's Episode 133 - Anatomy of a Rebel with Sacha Black Episode 155 - Rebel Reflections with Guest Host Sacha Black Episode 145 - Leveraging Your Author IP and Hybrid Publishing with Robert J. Sawyer Episode 004 - Optimizing Your Author Brand with Robert J. Sawyer Kobo Writing Life NaNoWriMo Promo (use coupon code NANO2020) Kobo Writing Life Podcast EP 97 - (Mark chats with Mickey, Robert J. Sawyer, and C.C. Humphries) Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Books2Read Draft2Digital Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections Mickey Mikkelson is the founder and brain child behind Creative Edge Publicity. Graduating from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology with a Marketing Diploma, Mickey has been in the book industry since 2006 where he started as the Special Events Manager in St Albert, Alberta for Chapters/Indigo, the largest bookstore chain in Canada. Ten years later, he formed Creative Edge Publicity, an aggressive boutique publicity firm that specializes in advocating for both the traditional and independent artist. Realizing there was a direct need by authors for publicity, Mickey tailored his firm to obtain media for indie authors initially and then spreading out to promoting works by traditionally published writers as well. In the four years that Creative Edge has been in existence, Mickey has managed to sign some of the top talents in the literary industry including multiple award winners, signing New York Times Bestsellers, and has been able to get indie authors various levels of success with many of them becoming international bestselling authors while working with the Creative Edge brand. 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 Joshua Pantalleresco, the host of Just Joshing, an Aurora Award Winning podcast that features Joshua interviewing authors and other creatives and business people about life, the universe, and everything. Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, welcomes a new patron (Connor Whiteley) and a word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by: You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and Joshua talk about: How Joshua could sum up his career as one great big accident The books and authors Joshua loved reading, and the novel he wrote when still in high school Josh's start interviewing people for a comic book website How working for one of his heroes led to a great moment of trial and tribulation for Joshua How a miscommunication about an interview Josh did with Robert J. Sawyer led to his recent podcast The fact that chocolate chip cookies were initially an accident - and look how they turned out How creating and sharing actually helps others to keep creating and sharing themselves How staring down the Grim Reaper can humble a person in a very real way The strength that it takes to be open and vulnerable A few things that Joshua is afraid of and something he is trying out that he has always wanted to do What makes Joshua ruthless and brutally honest Reflections on the bad experience he'd had with a hero of his that he worked with Perspectives on optimism, realism and cynicism After the conversation, Mark reflects on the benefits that come with being willing to take a risk. Links of Interest: Joshua Pantalleresco's Website Joshua on Twitter Joshua on Instagram Joshua on YouTube Mark's NaNoWriMo Profile Episode 161 - NaNo No-No's Episode 160 - Growing, Experimenting, and Collaborations with Mark Dawson Kobo Writing Life NaNoWriMo Promo (use coupon code NANO2020) Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Books2Read Draft2Digital Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections Joshua Pantalleresco is a writer, poet, podcaster and freelancer. His Podcast Just Joshing is a three time Aurora Award Winning Finalist and one time winner. 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 shares some tips for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), as well as an overview of his previous NaNoWriMo experiences, sharing the errors, the mistakes, and the failures he has made along the way. Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by: You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Links of Interest: Mark's NaNoWriMo Profile Episode 160 - Growing, Experimenting, and Collaborations with Mark Dawson Episode 100 - Another Publishing Industry First with Mark Dawson Episode 146 - Finding Yourself in Our Song with Meaghan Smith Kobo Writing Life NaNoWriMo Promo (use coupon code NANO2020) Meaghan Smith Rude Awakenings from Sleeping Rough Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Books2Read Draft2Digital Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 catches up with Mark Dawson to see how his publishing collaboration with Welbeck has been going as well as to find out about some new writing and publishing projects. This episode is sponsored by: You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Prior to the interview Mark shares the following: Comments from recent episodes A welcome to new patrons A personal update that includes: Short story writing deadlines (2 target hits with 1 to go) Recent media appearances related to a new book (and the fact that it's Halloween) The song Mark commissioned from Meaghan Smith for his fiance Liz's 50th birthday to go with the artwork commissioned from Josh Vogt. (Both called "Wonder Woman") A recent music parody Mark created inspired by "The Monster Mash" In their conversation Mark and Mark discuss: How the role of "writer" is Mark's prime passion The way Mark protects his writing time despite wearing many hats in the industry Recently hiring a PA (Personal Assistant) The importance of having a team that he can trust Mark's daily ritual to ensure he gets writing done every day The office Mark has rented that allows him to get writing and podcast work done How a change of scenery can be helpful to writing How John Milton often leaves a place in worse shape when he leaves it The multiple influences that went into the creation of the John Milton character The way that place, news items, and other factors combine for Mark to create a scenario to drop Milton into to watch how he interacts and reacts in that situation How Mark avoids the "Murder She Wrote Conceit" How traveling to a conference often negatively affects his writing productivity The release of The Cleaner in hardcover from Welbeck Publishing and the impact of the pandemic on that. The planned release of the mass market version of the books and the next book in the series The "After School Detectives Club" books that Mark is collaborating on and how it was inspired by his daughter How Mark shares what works and what doesn't work with various publishing projects and experiments he tries out What Mark is looking forward to for the last two months of 2020 Some of the forthcoming courses Mark's company will be releasing And more... After the interview Mark reflects on the larger perspective of the industry and how an author like Mark Dawson, who has already sold over 4 million copies of his eBooks still has such a gigantic untapped market of readers to reach who have never heard of him. Links of Interest: Mark Dawson Self Publishing Formula Episode 100 - Another Publishing Industry First with Mark Dawson Episode 159 - Many Roads of Creativity with Sarah Beth Goer Episode 105 - Location Based Storytelling with VoiceMap Episode 146 - Finding Yourself in Our Song with Meaghan Smith Kobo Writing Life NaNoWriMo Promo (use coupon code NANO2020) Meaghan Smith CTV News Sudbury (Mark's interview on Oct 26) Sudbury Star Article Sudbury Dot Com Article Hamilton CHML Article About Virtual Ghost Walk Virtual Ghost Walk Downtown Hamilton (VoiceMap) Mark's Hamilton Public Library Reading - Browsers Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Books2Read Draft2Digital Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark Dawson has worked as a lawyer and in the London film industry. His first books, The Art of Falling Apart and Subpoena Colada, have been published in multiple languages. He is currently writing three series. The John Milton series features a disgruntled assassin who aims to help people make amends for the things that he has done. The Beatrix Rose series features the headlong fight for justice of a wronged mother--who happens to be an assassin--against the six names on her Kill List. Soho Noir is set in the West End of London between 1940 and 1970. The first book in the series, The Black Mile, deals with the (real-life but little-known) serial killer who operated in the area during the Blitz. The Imposter traces the journey of a criminal family through the period; it has been compared to The Sopranos in austerity London. Mark lives in Wiltshire with his family. 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 Actor, producer, audiobook narrator, and singer Sarah Beth Goer. Prior to the interview Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a few words about this episode's sponsor... You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. During their conversation, Mark and Sarah talk about: The fact that this is Sarah's first appearance as a podcast guest Working with Erin Wright on releasing her romance novels in audiobook How and when Sarah got started in audiobook narration The reality of trying to be an actor in LA - including the difficulty of even getting an audition Sarah's determination to get at least 200 rejections before giving up on this pursuit The importance of understanding your goal of having your books in audio Other suggestions to authors on strategies for determining whether or not its worth investing on audiobooks What Sarah wants every author to know about licensing their audio rights to a publisher The original of where Sarah got the "bug" for acting Determining that she really had to do acting for her soul Coming to terms with the doors that are open for you and the doors that are closed for you, and walking through the doors that are open instead of banging your head on the doors that are closed How audiobooks are an actor's medium - where an actor can't be limited or typecast by how they look, for example The comparison of a one-hander, a play performed by a single actor with being a single narrator of an audiobook Why Sarah highly recommends the audiobook for Charlotte's Web The converted and sound-proofed/sound-dampened closet that Sarah records in within her home How Mark met Sarah while looking for narrators for the audiobook for his Obsessions anthology The way Sarah gets new clients - Different genres that Sarah likes to work on as an audiobook narrator and what she looks for in a collaborative writing partner The deeply satisfying experience of creating the feature film THREE ROADS The resonance of a specific scene in the film that was created in an ad hoc fashion of collaboration between the actors ad libbing with suggestions from the director Sarah's penchant for ad lib film creation, but why they didn't use that for THREE ROADS (other than a few short scenes) Behind the scenes of the "little details" put into a feature film, such as the "scene within a scene" of a fictional movie two of the characters are watching The mind-boggling realization that every single thing seen on a television show or movie was painstakingly created, designed, or placed by someone responsible for that The challenging reality of the fact that the cost to just distribute this film and would most likely far outweigh the funds that would be earned off of it The cross-training of working on multiple collaborative and creative projects And more After the interview Mark shares a reflection about Sarah's conviction to stick it out until she tried 200 times, as well as the need for disruption in the film industry. Mark also welcomes new Patron, Kevin Partner. Links of Interest: Sarah Beth Goer's Website Sarah on Twitter Wonder Woman Productions Pink Flamingo Productions Lyric Audiobooks Episode 157 - A Conversation with Jeff Elkins, The Dialogue Doctor Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Books2Read Draft2Digital Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections Sarah Beth Goer is a member of acting unions SAG-AFTRA and AEA. Her feature film THREE ROADS, which she co-wrote, starred in, and produced, won BEST WRITERS at the LA Femme International Film Festival in 2019. Sarah is also an audiobook narrator with over 100 titles under her belt. Notable works include Harper title The Unteachables (named in January 2019 an Apple Books Must-Listen), Disney Hyperion title The Devouring Gray (which placed on Barnes & Nobel's 20 most anticipated YA debuts of 2019), and Night Music – which Audiofile Magazine called "an exquisite listen," deeming Goer's performance "dynamic," and "noteworthy" as she "successfully capture[d] the raw emotions of first love muddled by racism and greed." 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 Kate Tilton about the work she does supporting and helping authors be successful. Prior to the interview, Mark shares shares comments from recent episodes and social media, offers a personal update, and says a word about this episode's sponsor... You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. During their conversation, Mark and Kate talk about: Meeting for the first time at the basement in the Javitz Center in New York at Book Expo America How Kate got into the book business The way that interacting in social media led to Kate falling into the role of author assistant Kate starting in the book business when she was still in high school and always being an "old soul" her entire life The fact that Kate has always been a "How" person who likes to figure out processes and how to make things work The challenges of "re-identifying yourself" within an industry How Kate helps authors make decisions within publishing based on what's best for the author and what's best for each book The important role Kate plays in terms of keeping her author clients accountable The value of focusing on humans and relationships and connection for a broader perspective of marketing The mistake that most authors make in thinking of social media as a marketing or sales platform The way that Kate's own use of social media has changed over the years Questioning certain "givens" of business such as "you have to keep increasing the incoming revenue" The importance of having someone as a "thought-partner" in the business of writing and publishing How two different people collaborating can come up with ideas and processes that are far better than they ever would on their own Advice that Kate would give to her younger self After the interview, Mark reflects on accountability and the human connection element of social media, particularly as it relates to how he and Kate have stayed connected over the years. Links of Interest: Kate Tilton's Website Kate Tilton on Social Media: Twitter Instagram Facebook Episode 157 - A Conversation with Jeff Elkins, The Dialogue Doctor Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Books2Read Draft2Digital Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections Kate Tilton works with authors of all publication paths, from New York Times and USA Today bestsellers, award winners, and six-figure authors, to pre-publication authors, to authors somewhere in the middle. By standing beside authors as a partner, Kate turns scary and overwhelming things like marketing and finding an audience into tools that can be used to make an author's dream a reality. She achieves this mission with one-on-one partnerships with authors, free resources available on her website, and so much more. 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 chats with Jeff Elkins, The Dialogue Doctor, about the importance of solid dialogue for characterization, moving a plot along, and creating a bestselling novel. Prior to the interview, Mark shares shares comments from recent episodes, welcomes new Patron, Macy Dixon, offers a personal update, and says a word about this episode's sponsor... You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. During their conversation, Mark and Jeff talk about: What good dialogue is going to do for your book The fundamental way that two people connect with one another, which is usually through conversation The reader engagement that comes for characters because of solid dialogue How Jeff filled a gap in the writing craft realm by focusing on dialogue Jeff's background writing conversation simulations and how that lead to his expertise in dialogue The way a person changes the way they speak when in different moods, anxious situations, circumstances Being intention with our dialogue when writing Peter Parker's dialogue as a shy nerd and behind the mask of Spider-man The concept of "putting the character in your mouth" The term "mono-mouth" used to describe multiple characters speaking in the exact same voice (the writer) Jeff's research on bestsellers and how many of them usually have less than four paragraphs between passages of dialogue How both John Grisham novels and Pride and Prejudice both have about 70% dialogue in them If your plot and the twists and turns are the bones, then dialogue is the muscle The value of taking out the "summaries" in your fiction rather than SHOWING that scene An example of a brilliant character reveal through dialogue in Toni Morrison's novel BELOVED The free download authors can get at Jeff's website on the five biggest mistakes authors often make in dialogue What you can get for signing up for Jeff's newsletter The services that Jeff offers for authors A new program/offering that Jeff is launching Jeff's new podcast where he shares ongoing dialogue sessions, advice, and tips After the interview, Mark shares an offer from Jeff (the ability to get a 1 hour $99 booking for $75 by mentioning the Stark Reflections Podcast), and Mark shares a few reflections about things Jeff made him think about. Links of Interest: Jeff's Author Website Jeff's Dialogue Doctor Website The 20-week experience Jeff is launching Jeff's Dialogue Doctor YouTube Channel Jeff Elkins on Facebook Jeff Elkins on Twitter Episode 156 - The Stark Reality Facing Authors Episode 118 - Wish I'd Known Then with Jami Albright and Sara Rosett Mark Leslie Lefebvre on Thinking Outside the eBook (guest on the Wish I'd Known Then for Writers Podcast) Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Books2Read Draft2Digital Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections Jeff Elkins writes stories with engaging and diverse characters that help people escape the stress of the real world. He has published eleven novels and hundreds of short stories and lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife and five kids. A graduate of Baylor University and Truett Seminary, Jeff has been writing dialogue simulation for several years and has recently adapted this knowledge, and his writing experience, into a fantastic, and much-needed service for authors called The Dialogue Doctor. 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 the content that is normally reserved for patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast in a "Stark Reflections on Other Podcasts" episode. In this episode, he shares clips from two other podcasts that he listens to, then reflects upon the things discussed. In this particular case, both episodes include the stark reality facing authors. Prior to the main content, Mark shares a personal update as well as a word from this episode's sponsor... You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In the main segment for the episode Mark reflects upon clips from: Sell More Books Show Episode 330 The Career Author Podcast Episode 144 Links of Interest: Sell More Books Show Episode 330 - Clear Strategy, Full Data Sets, Can't Lose The Career Author Podcast Episode 144 - Technology & Publishing Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Books2Read Draft2Digital Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections 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

Rebel Author Takeover Special Episode! In this episode Sacha Black, host of The Rebel Author Podcast, takes over the Stark Reflections Podcast, renaming it the Rebel Reflections Podcast as part of celebrating the 1st anniversary of her podcast (Sept 25, 2020). HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SACHA!!!! Prior to the takeover, Sacha temporarily hands control back over to Mark, who reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, and also a work from this episode's two sponsors.... You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. A motivational show for all the creatives out there with an inner rebel. Listen for interviews, industry news, tips, tricks and tools to help you take your creative business to the next level. Learn more about the Rebel Author Podcast. In this episode Sacha poses the questions on the following topics which both Mark and Sacha answer: Favorite rebel in history Favorite literary rebel What have you learned since you started podcasting? What have you learned about yourself since starting podcasting? What's your favorite thing about podcasting? Why do you think Rebellion is important? What kind of rebel are you? A DAD JOKE... Links of Interest: The Rebel Author Podcast Episode 133 - Anatomy of a Rebel with Sacha Black Episode 154 - Memories of and Reflections on T S Paul Episode 144 - 10 Tips for Winning with Wide Publishing Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Books2Read Draft2Digital Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections Sacha Black is an author, rebel podcaster, speaker and developmental editor. She has five obsessions; words, expensive shoes, conspiracy theories, self-improvement, and breaking the rules. Sacha writes books about people with magical powers and other books about the art of writing. When she's not writing, she can be found laughing inappropriately loud, sniffing musty old books, fangirling film and TV soundtracks, or thinking up new ways to break the rules. She lives in Hertfordshire, England, with her wife and genius, giant of a son. 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

This week the indie author community felt the loss of author T S Paul. In this episode, Mark shares a few reflections on Scott as well as some highlight clips from an interview video that he recorded as well as Scott's appearance back in episode 13 of this podcast. T S Paul is the author of Science Fiction, Space Opera, Military, Cookbooks, and Paranormal Fiction. Links of Interest: T S Paul's Blog T S Paul's Facebook Page T S Paul Instagram T S Paul's Fergus The Unicorn's Facebook Page T S Paul's Fergus The Unicorn on Twitter Episode 13 - Going your own way with T S Paul Mark's Feed The Obsession Kickstarter YouTube Chat with T S Paul Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Books2Read Draft2Digital Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 "thanks for the inspiration" episode, Mark reflects on how Ron Roberts from Levack, Ontario was an important mentor who inspired him in his reading and his writing life. Links of Interest: Tomes of Terror Levack, Ontario (Onaping Falls) Rush: Grace Under Pressure Mark's Feed The Obsession Kickstarter Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Books2Read Draft2Digital Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections Thanks for the Inspiration is a type of show that appears from time to time in the regular schedule for this podcast. As writers, we often absorb elements from the world, the places, and the people around us. We observe, we ask questions, we speculative, we listen, we watch, we feel, and we write so much of that down which gets re-integrated, like some sort of sausage creation, into the stories and words and worlds we share with our readers. Thanks for the Inspiration episodes are an attempt to acknowledge and say thanks to the people, places, and things that have helped to either feed the muse, or perhaps just to feed the very soul and makeup of the writer behind that writing. 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 cartoonist Leigh Rubin of Rubes® the internationally syndicated single-panel cartoon that he has been creating since November 1984. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a few comments from recent episodes and Twitter, and the says a word about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In his personal update, Mark shares: What he is doing on the Obsessions anthology project A forthcoming $0.99 price-drop promo for Stowe Away, the latest release in his Canadian Werewolf series. How he "met" Leigh after creating a short dad joke video entitled "Dramatic Exit" inspired by one of his Rubes® cartoons. In their conversation, Mark and Leigh talk about: The two things that Leigh excelled at in Kindergaten. Napping and cartooning. Pushing the boundaries in his cartoons from those earliest days. The encouragement received from his third grade teacher, Mrs. Mullin. The two kinds of people an artist usually remembers: the people who encourage you, and the people who don't How seeing a line of greeting cards from Sandra Boynton were part of the inspiration for Leigh to start his own greeting card company All of the work "hitting the street" involved in selling greeting cards, including buying space in industry trade shows, having racks built, and making numerous sales calls Learning about industry practices such as retail slotting fees for prime merchandising space in a store The powerful and positive impression made from a series of terrible musical puns that Leigh drew up, and how that led to Leigh's first book, which migrated into three volumes called: Notable Quotes, Encore, and Amusing Arrangements Selling more than 40,000 copies of his books without having a major publisher or distributor for them The evolution of greeting cards to books, books to a book signing, and a book signing to a daily cartoon gig at a local publisher, which eventually led to being a syndicated cartoonist Working through numerous and consistent rejections with the queries that Leigh continued to send out, until finally picking up 150 different newspapers to start carrying his cartoons Why Leigh investigated the college newspaper scene, and the benefit and down-side of that market Discovering Creators Syndicate and the initial nice personal rejection Leigh received from them Leigh's view that not all rejections are a bad thing The pilot episode of a television show that Leigh created with Ryan Johnson (a movie and television show break-away prop maker) called Drawing Inspiration which is a behind-the-scenes look at their weird jobs that depend entirely on creativity How, once the daily blank cartoon sheet is taped down to Leigh's desk, a cartoon must appear, whether it takes 10 minutes or 5 hours. The cancellation of so many events, and migrating into a virtual event, which Leigh had just done the evening before this interview (link in show notes) How two different cartoonists adapted the same topic/theme into different cartoons (as demonstrated on the aforementioned virtual event) The importance of leaving something to the reader's imagination in humor Why big brands should support artists instead of only sports stars because they are constantly running marathons And more . . . After the interview, Mark reflects Leigh's discipiline of sitting at the empty page for 5 minutes or 5 hours, whatever it takes, the persistence he showed in the fact of rejection, and looking for specific niche markets to break into with his work. Mark also shares the opportunity for people who comment on the episode show notes at starkreflections.ca to win one of Leigh's signed books. Links of Interest: Leigh Rubin's Website Rubes Cartoons Facebook Rubes Cartoons Instagram Rubes Cartoons Twitter Drawing Inspiration - Pilot Episode When Cartoon Worlds Collide Dramatic Exit - Short Dad Joke Film inspired by Leigh's cartoon Episode 151 - Wellness, Well Played with Jennifer Buchanan Mark's Feed The Obsession Kickstarter Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Books2Read Draft2Digital Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Jennifer Buchanan, President and founder of JB Music Therapy about the role music has played in her life, as well as the life-altering moment that inspired the creation of her company which uses music to help others. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, including who the winners are of Michael Arterberry's book from Episode 147, as well as a word from this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In his personal update, Mark shares: Info about a couple of episodes he shared for patrons of the show (a reflections on other podcasts where he shares a clip from and talks about Episode 190 of The Writer's Well with Rachael Herron and J. Thorn (both have been guests on previous episodes of this podcast) An update on the progress made from his recent booklaunch, with the push on the free "first book" in series and the slowly growing sales of the next two books in his Canadian Werewolf series. How Amazon screwed up the great track record for the downloads of the price-matched free first in series title Having had success in getting more than 7000 words written in the past week (after a previous extended dry spell of writing) - this writing is for Lover's Moon, another title in the Canadian Werewolf series. An update on the Obsessions Kickstarter that has reached 153% of its funding goal and is almost halfway to the first stretch goal. During their conversation, Mark and Jennifer discuss: Jennifer's introduction to music and which instrument she prefers as the most beautiful instrument The experience of hearing the same song via different singers and the uniqueness of the emotional resonance in the listener The underlying biological impact music can have on us The human to human connection that music can bring Understanding that there is some music out there that is specific to you, and might not resonate the same way with others The backstory of Jennifer's music therapy business and how it ties back in to a life-altering moment with her grandfather How, when she was a child, Jennifer was the kind of kid who loved doing special projects The age range of Jennifer's clients and the kinds of therapies that are popular with clients An annual music festival a friend of Jennifer's runs called Farmstock, and how it had to change significantly due to the Covid-19 pandemic Jennifer's advice about the creation of a life playlist Wellness Incorporated, Jennifer's most recent book and how it became a bridge between being a music therapist and having to be an entrepreneur Getting an MBA a couple of decades after starting her business And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on the way music can bring people together and find strong bonds of commonality. He also reflects on the concept of a biographical playlist, and suggests writers might consider the theme music that might play when a character walks into a scene as an interesting exercise for writers. Links of Interest: Jennifer Buchanan's Website Jennifer's Social Media Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Instagram JB Music Therapy JB Music Social Media: Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Episode 150 -Anatomy of a Book Launch Episode 149 - Killing it on Kickstarter with Russell Nohelty Episode 147 - Master Encourager Michael Arterberry Mark's Feed The Obsession Kickstarter Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Books2Read Draft2Digital Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections Jennifer Buchanan is an award-winning author and clinician. Described as inspirational, engaging, and thought-provoking, Jennifer's keynotes provide practical strategies, grounded in global research and case studies, that help foster improved well-being within ourselves, our workplaces, and throughout our community. Jennifer's company JB Music Therapy has been instrumental in the implementation of hundreds of music therapy programs throughout Canada for almost 30 years and has been thrice nominated for the Community Impact Award by the Chamber of Commerce. Jennifer is the recipient of the two most prestigious Canadian music therapy lifetime service awards: the Franni Award and the Norma Sharpe Award. She has served as the President for the Canadian Association of Music Therapists for 5 years and has been an invited keynote speaker at national and international conventions speaking on music therapy and health entrepreneurship to a wide variety of education, healthcare, government, small business, and corporate audiences. As an author of two award-winning books – 'Tune In' and 'Wellness Incorporated' she has appeared as a guest on numerous news and current affairs programs including Fox News Health, NBC, CBS, CBC Radio, CBC Television, CTV, Gl

In this episode, Mark shares the details of a recent book launch, including the series re-branding, the promotion efforts taken in the metadata, the third party promotion sites used, and also shares the good, the bad, and the ugly of the results. Prior to his personal update and the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes and a word from this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In his personal update, Mark shares details about the Kickstarter that he launched on August 25, 2020 called Feed the Obsession, as well as the advice he took from Russell Nohelty (Episode 149's guest), and what advice he didn't employ. Mark's Kickstarter funded in less than 48 hours, and he is now working on the stretch goals. In his anatomy of a book launch, AKA anatomy of a series re-launch, Mark shares information in the following areas: A Brief history of the stories/books in the "Canadian Werewolf" series Why he went with the re-branding and new covers The actual launch - and multi-product approach he took to release all titles in eBook, Trade Paperback, Hardcover, and Audiobook The Launch related promotions he purchased (including sites like Freebooksy, Fussy Librarian, and others) Goals and disclaimers about his expectations for the promo and short-term VS long-term Results so far (1 week and 2 days in) Other promotional activities such as a virtual book launch, sending out press releases, and one-sheets to libraries Links of Interest: Episode 149 - Killing it on Kickstarter with Russell Nohelty Mark's Feed The Obsession Kickstarter Space 1975 Kickstarter (Robert Jeschonek) Mark's Virtual Book Launch for Stowe Away (YouTube) Video Trailer for Stowe Away (YouTube) This Time Around: A Canadian Werewolf Story - Teaser (YouTube) Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) 927 Rock Sudbury - This Werewolf is a Super Hero Sudbury Star: Author reflects on how Sudbury shaped his latest book Findaway Voices Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Russell Nohelty about writing scripts, comics, novels, editing, publishing, and his work optimizing Kickstarter campaigns to raise revenue and connect with fans. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Mark then shares comments from recent episodes and a personal update. In their conversation, Mark and Russell talk about: How Russell got into writing because he was never told he couldn't pursue the things he was interested in doing Russell's high school work in theatre, writing and working on plays; taking broadcast journalism in college, and his experiences writing and shooting his own short films How getting into a car accident and being unable to do the full film production tasks (except for writing), that funneled Russell into focusing on writing - one of the only things he could do while recovering Being re-introduced to comics after a long hiatus of not reading them How writing and creating comics led to novels and Russell's production company The difference between writing a movie script and a comic script The difference between writing comics and writing novels How comic writers and comic artists connect and collaborate The significant cost involved in indie comic publishing (especially when compared to indie novel publishing) The long term sales Russell has seen selling indie comics - ie, with strong and ongoing backlist sales How Russell's production company started because he wasn't impressed with some of the other companies he'd been working with The origin of the name Wannabe Press Two of the main "norms" in indie comic publishing: Doing Comic-Cons and doing Kickstaters How it's a lot easier to make the couple of thousand dollars needed to ensure a novel pays off on Kickstarter (with the average spend being between $25 and $30 for about 100 people) - which leads to $3000. As opposed to having to sell 1000 copies of a low priced eBook to earn the same amount. One of the great things about Kickstarter is the access you have, after a campaign funds, to the community that supported you How, in a little over 6 months, Russell has raised over $50,000 from three different Kickstarter campaigns with no advertising spend Messaging daily about his Kickstarter campaigns, and how Russell has never received complaints from people who are actually supporting him and buying his books - he only receives complaints from those who AREN'T buying. The importance of building and leveraging a community before you launch a Kickstarter campaign The fact that many thousands of people buy Russell's books, but a much smaller number of people actually help him create those books in the first place How, on Kickstarter, people aren't just buying your book, they are investing in you as a creator and artist they believe in The most common and blatant errors that people make on Kickstarter The importance of starting with the WHY in your Kickstarter campaigns Why you should always have something that people can download immediately The value of always having something that people can offer just a single dollar And more . . . After the interview, Mark reflects on Russell's comment that earning $500 on a Kickstarter might look like a failure, but it's actually a huge success, especially when compared to the typical results of the average book selling on the major retail platforms. Links of Interest: Russell Nohelty's Website The Complete Creative: Kickstarter Russell's Forthcoming Kickstarter Wide for the Win Submission Form Mark's Feed The Obsession Kickstarter EP 148 - AI Voice Double Conversation with Joanna Penn EP 139 - Dreaming, Singing, and Moving People with Ashley Joanisse EP 116 - Taking the Short Tack with Matty Dalrymple Spirits Untapped Mark Parody Videos Stuck in This House Here with You Mark's Tavern (Cheers Parody) K-Tel Parody: Isolation Hits You Call Me Fever (Parody of "Fever" in mispronunciation of Lefebvre) Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Russell Nohelty is a USA Today Bestselling author and publisher at Wannabe Press. He's written comic books like Katrina Hates the Dead, Ichabod Jones: Monster Hunter, and Pixie Dust, along with more than a dozen novels, including his Godsverse Chronicles. He also edits the Cthulhu is Hard to Spell anthology series. He has raised over $180,000 on Kickstarter across 12 projects, and has a very entertaining newsletter, which you can join at www.russellnohelty.com/mail and get a few of his books for free. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and dogs. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompet

In this special bonus/additional episode, released between regular weekly episodes of the podcast, Mark has a conversation with Joanna Penn about emerging digital A.I. technologies and what it means for writers. The initial conversation is using the words that Mark and Joanna would share in conversation, but the voice was generated using their respective Voice Doubles from Descript OverDub. After the AI Voice Double conversation, the real Mark and Joanna share their thoughts and reflections on the conversation, the process behind creating the computer-generated conversation and what it all means for the publishing and writing communities. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F.Penn. She's a podcaster and an award-winning creative entrepreneur. Her site, TheCreativePenn.com has been voted in the Top 100 sites for writers by Writer's Digest. Links of Interest: The Creative Penn Episode 002 - Living the Healthy Writer's Life with Joanna Penn Episode 103 - 15 Takeaways from the WMG Publishing Master Class The Creative Penn Podcast - Episode 482 - How to Get Your Book Into Libraries and Bookstores with Mark Leslie Lefebvre Descript Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Michael Arterberry, Master Encourager, and Dynamic Motivational Speaker. Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update and reads a word from this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and Michael talk about: Where Michael's title as "Master Encourager" came from, via a story about a farmer and a donkey How this story relates to Michael's childhood experience in both his home and neighborhood The value of shaking the dirt The way that Michael re-adapted the original donkey story he had heard, added new elements/concepts to it, and made it his own Getting into sports and being gifted as a lead athlete (from the age of 8 until high school graduation) How coaches became parental figures and role models, and his team-mates became his brothers and sisters Michael's gift of being able to feel the pain of others by tuning into the rhythm of a room The importance of story to Michael in speaking engagements, workshops and social gatherings Helping people manage difficulties, particularly during Covid-19 How, since the pandemic, Michael has been a guest on more than 75 podcasts How Covid-19 is not a punishment, but perhaps a gift, and a time for pause and self-reflection The experience of Winning the Characters Unite Award Michael's experience of speaking to kids in local schools How, despite being an Alpha personality, Michael has found himself in particular situations where he doesn't have a voice because of the side-effect of being perceived as an "angry black man" Why Michael went with 250 days (rather than 365) for his book and how it came from inspirational and motivation things he'd shared for free daily on his Facebook page Advice that Michael would offer his younger self After the interview, Mark reflects on Michael's use of the "donkey" parable and the effectiveness such a story can have on getting an important message across. He then shares how listeners can win a copy of Michael's book Be Encouraged: 250 Days of Motivation and Encouragement. Links of Interest: Michael's Website Shake The Dirt Experience Wide for the Win (Pre-Order) Wide for the Win Submission Form Episode 146 - Finding Yourself in Our Song with Meaghan Smith Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) The 2020 Aurora Awards Findaway Voices Findaway Voices: Authors Direct Annoucement Patreon for Stark Reflections As a teenager, Michael Arterberry was fortunate to receive guidance from positive adult role models who helped him overcome adversities and set high expectations for his future. Grateful for the role these mentors played in his own development, Michael decided to dedicate his professional life to helping people navigate the difficulties of life and launch their future into motion. For more than 25 years, he has been helping teens and adults to use what they have gone through as a catalyst for success rather than an obstacle for failure. Michael received the 2010 USA Network's Characters Unite Award for exceptional commitment to combating prejudice and discrimination. He is also the recipient of the 2014 100 Men of Color Award for leadership in education, government, mentorship, entrepreneurial success and community service. In 2008, Michael founded Youth Voices Center, Inc. a non-profit with the mission of helping young people to become active, productive members of society by overcoming their obstacles, their history, stereotypes and even their own self-image and limiting beliefs. 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 Meaghan Smith about her life as a musician and a painter, about what it's like to win a Juno Award, about collaborating with her husband, releasing music as an indie artist, vs being signed to a label, about the origin of her "Our Story" projects and so much more. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word from this episode's sponsor which includes a new resource about tips on marketing audiobooks. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Mark also shares comments from recent episodes, shares the winners of a copy of Goal Setting for Writers by Holly Lyne, abd also a personal update which includes: Hosting the 2020 Aurora Awards Work on the forthcoming Wide for the Win Promotional activities related to the August 18th release of his Canadian Werewolf novella Stowe Away Progress on a Kickstarter he'll be launching on Sept 25th During their conversation, Mark and Meaghan talk about: An interesting way that being in specific beautiful studios can actually be distracting from Meaghan's songwriting prowess How her creativity really flows when she is in discomfort How Meaghan proposes to her Muse that she'll be there in the studio ready to work if it wants to meet her How music has long felt like breathing to Meaghan and it's something she has always done Meaghan's inability to read sheet music due to dyslexia The distinct moment by which Meaghan realized that music was her main path and the giant leap of faith that she took to make her first album How Meaghan learned about sound and recording via the animation program she was in and studying The process for that first album (The Cricket's Orchestra), saving up for four years to hire a producer (Les Cooper), writing the songs on her guitar, spending years scraping by, sleeping on friend's couches while staying in Toronto to record the album The way that Meaghan likes to paint a scene with her music How a song has to come to Meaghan all at the same time when she is song-writing The process of just sitting down and starting to play and building upon that, discovering the elements that work, and the ones that don't Going from playing open mics in Halifax to playing the Viper Room in LA How Meaghan managed the contract so that she retained the rights for her songs, even though a label has the rights to the recordings for the albums The surreal experience of winning a Juno Award, and how she almost didn't end up going to the event Reflections on what winning an award like the Juno Award means, or doesn't mean, and why, though she is appreciative and thankful for the awards that she has won, that she doesn't like to focus on such things The advice a fellow artist gave her to manage anxiety - just think about what you're going to do next How it sometimes feels like she has two muses at times - one for music and another for painting Meaghan's first pregnancy (and the Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) - a pregnancy complication that is characterized by severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and possibly dehydration, which she suffered the entire time) which dramatically changed her ability to tour as well as her career as a musician The incredibly powerful love that she felt and feels for her two children The clarifying moment she had, after losing all of the momentum of her growing career, where she wasn't able to write about her own life and started looking other stories and other lives she could write about - which evolved into creating the "Our Song" project work How Meaghan and Jason collaborate on music, and the two different studio spaces where the art is created and produced Advice that Meaghan would give her younger self And more . . . Mark then reflects upon a couple of things that the conversation made him realize. Links of Interest: Meaghan Smith's Website Meaghan Smith Art Meaghan's Our Song Website Meaghan's Facebook Page Meaghan on Instagram Wide for the Win (Pre-Order) Wide for the Win Submission Form Episode 145 - Leveraging your IP & Hybrid Publishing with Robert J. Sawyer Episode 144 - 10 Tips for Winning with Wide Publishing Episode 143 - Unstoppable Goals with HB Lyne Episode 142 - Strategies for Launching a Book During a Pandemic with Suzy Vadori Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) The 2020 Aurora Awards Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Meaghan Smith is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, and visual artist. Her independently produced début album, The Cricket's Orchestra, was released by Warner Music Canada-Sire Records in 2009. Smith, who performs with her husband, Jason Mingo, has been acclaimed for her Christmas concerts, which feature interpretations of traditional carols as well as the songwriter's own popular yuletide composition, "It Snowed." At the 2011 Juno Awards, Smith won

In this episode Mark interviews international bestselling and award winning science-fiction author Robert J. Sawyer about his latest novel release and the multiple ways he has split his IP (Intellectual Property) to optimize his income as a writer. Long-time listeners might remember Rob from Episode 4 (January 26, 2018) of the podcast, which focused on author branding. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes and a personal update. He also shares a word about this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. During their conversation, Mark and Rob talk about: Rob's history as a writer, including his first short story published in 1980 and first novel published in 1990 The 3-way split rights on Rob's previous novel, Quantum Night (2 Publishers, and Rob self-publishing) What Rob learned from dipping his toe into indie publishing Quantum Night four years ago, and how he applied those learnings to the publication of The Oppenheimer Alternative The story about the title of his previous novel: Quantum Night VS The Zombie Philosopher The timing of Rob's latest novel with the 75th Anniversary of The Manhattan Project and the first use of Nuclear weapons in war The decisions Rob made for the print rights of his latest novel related to wanting solid bookstore distribution The split rights selling of the rights of Rob's novel, in print, to two different publishers in Canada and the United States Rob's control of the eBook rights, audiobook rights, film & TV rights The fact that Rob is still waiting on the "advance" payment from his Canadian publisher for a book that was released almost two months ago Rob's negotiation with his US publisher regarding the book's advance - and how that back and forth negotiation resulted in a situation where Rob maintained his eBook rights in lieu of an advance How it took two months of sales of the eBook (that Rob holds the rights to) in order to earn more than what the advance on the book would have been The direct involvement on the design of the book's cover, both for the edition Rob is publishing as well as the one published by his Canadian publisher The research involved in writing his latest novel, which included purchasing over 100 different books about the people behind The Manhattan Project How The Manhattan Project was the most secret project that humanity had taken on at that point in history and how it was almost the most recorded project - meaning there was plenty of recorded dialogue transcripts that Rob was able to use to write realistic dialogue (both word-for-word actual dialogue - about 20% of it was verbatim from transcripts - as well as for creating authentic dialogue of the scenes that Rob invented/imagined) The debate and origin of the terms sci-fi VS SF as short for Science Fiction How Rob likes to think of The Oppenheimer Alternative not as an alternative history novel, but as a Secret History Novel, and how the story is based on a string of events, evidence, and speculation about something else actually happening that hadn't been revealed or uncovered during that time period The importance of how writing this novel had to be a huge challenge that Rob looked forward to tackling The selling of the audiobook rights to Recorded Books The changes that happened in the lead up and launch of this book (and the planned book tour) due to Covid-19 Rob's use of Patreon for his most dedicated/passionate fans A new exclusive audio project that Rob is currently negotiating related to a radio drama style project (which brings him back to his roots as a former radio person) After the podcast Mark reflects on Rob's recognition of the power that he holds as the IP creator, and the many inventive ways he has split his rights. Links of Interest: Robert J. Sawyer's Website Wide for the Win (Pre-Order) Wide for the Win Submission Form Episode 4 - Optimizing Your Author Brand with Robert J. Sawyer Episode 144 - 10 Tips for Winning with Wide Publishing Episode 143 - Unstoppable Goals with HB Lyne Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Bakka Phoenix Books Words Worth Books Bibliofic Designs Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Robert J. Sawyer — called "the dean of Canadian science fiction" by The Ottawa Citizen and "just about the best science-fiction writer out there these days" by The Denver Rocky Mountain News — is one of only eight writers in history (and the only Canadian) to win all three of the science-fiction field's top honors for best novel of the year. Rob — who holds honorary doctorates from the University of Winnipeg and Laurentian University — has taught writing at the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, Humber College, and The Banff Centre. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podc

Are you looking for ways to stop being dependent upon Amazon for your author earnings income? Are you hoping to expand and grow your sales on multiple platforms in global territories? Do you need strategies to help you get started NOW in terms of creating a successful "publish wide" author plan? Would you like to increase and optimize your sales on Apple Books, Kobo, Nook, Google Play and more? Then this episode which features a reading of an article by Erin Wright called "Top 10 Tips to Going Wide." Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes and a word from this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In his personal update, Mark shares the progress he has made on the "Canadian Werewolf" series, including a cover rebranding, a pre-order for mid August, and another pre-order for Feb 2021. He also shares the fact he has started work on a book called WIDE FOR THE WIN which will also be published in early 2021. The tips shared are: Stop jumping and out of KU Stop giving away Amazon gift cards of Kindle eReaders Stop advertising in paid newsletters that only include Amazon Stop linking to just Amazon Stop buying your books on Amazon Stop cross-promoting with other authors who are KU exclusive Stop targeting KU authors in your ads Stop spending money on AMS ads Stop having an ARC team that only reviews on Amazon Stop trying to learn from authors who are KU exclusive After sharing the article, Mark reflects on the basic strategy that Erin employs across all of the tips. Links of Interest: Erin Wright's Website Top 10 Tips to Going Wide - Erin's Article on Hidden Gems Wide for the Win Facebook Group Episode 143 - Unstoppable Goals with HB Lyne Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Wide for the Win Submission Form Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections USA Today Bestselling author Erin Wright has worked every job under the sun, including library director, barista, teacher, website designer, and ranch hand helping brand cattle, before settling into the career she's always dreamed about: Author. She still loves coffee, doesn't love the smell of cow flesh burning, and has embarked on the adventure of a lifetime, traveling the country full-time in an RV. (No one has died yet in the confined 250-square-foot space – which she considers a real win – but let's be real, next week isn't looking so good…) Find her updates on ErinWright.net, where you can sign up for her newsletter along with the requisite pictures of Jasmine the Writing Cat, her kitty cat muse and snuggle buddy extraordinaire. 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 urban fantasy author and podcaster HB Lyne about her fiction, her forthcoming title GOAL SETTING FOR WRITERS, and more. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update and a word from this episode's sponsor This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In the interview Holly and Mark talk about: When and how Holly got into writing in the first place - writing since she could hold a pen Making up stories that her young friend would illustrate Writing screenplays and theatre when when was a teenager, and going off to University with a goal to write and direct movies Writing her first book and how she wanted to share it straight away, and didn't want to wait and go through all the hoops, bells, and whistles of traditional publishing Holly's first series, with four books, and why had to plan on rebranding, despite having had paid for beautiful covers for the first set, as well as brilliantly conceived titles The rebranding of the series name, the titles, and the covers and what Holly's plan is (rapid release of the three books, then the new fourth book in the fall of 2020) Holly's first non-fiction book, Goal Setting for Writers, which is coming on July 31, 2020 The mind-set shift required to move from writing fiction to non-fiction How Holly does all of her planning doing the bullet journal system How, when we write by hand, we retain much more than when we are typing The challenge of imposter syndrome The Unstoppable Authors Podcast that Holly co-hosts with Angeline Trevena And more . . . After the interview Mark shares a reflection on Holly's rebranding as well as his own recent decision to rebrand a series in the same genre. He also shares a chance for listeners to win a copy of Holly's book on goal setting for writers by leaving a comment on this episode by EOD July 31, 2020. Patrons are also automatically entered for their own chance to win another copy of the book. Links of Interest: HB Lyne's Website HB Lyne Instagram HB Lyne Facebook Unstoppable Authors Podcast Episode 142 - Strategies for Launching a Book During a Pandemic with Suzy Vadori Episode 139 - Dreaming, Singing, and Moving People with Ashley Joanisse Findaway Voices Blog on Mastering Audio Patreon for Stark Reflections H.B. Lyne lives in Yorkshire, UK, with her husband, two children and cat. When not juggling family commitments, she writes dark urban fantasy novels, purging her imagination of its demons. Inspired by the King of Horror himself, Holly aspires to be at least half as prolific and successful and promises to limit herself to only one tome of The Stand-like proportions in her career. Holly is a proud geek, podcaster and bullet journal enthusiast with a knack for organisation and getting stuff done. 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 Suzy Vadori about the massive in person book launches she has done for the first two books in her The Fountain trilogy and the way she had to pivot away from the original plans of a major launch for book three, Wall of Wishes, due to the global pandemic. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word about this episode's sponsor, reads some recent comments on the podcast, and offers a bit of a personal update. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Mark also shares that the podcast has surpassed 50,000 downloads, has been downloaded in over 100 countries, and he thanks listeners for helping him achieve those stats. In their interview, Mark and Suzy talk about: The giant Wall of Wishes backdrop Suzy and her kids created for the special at home video launch sessions she was doing The Fountain trilogy and where Suzy's new book "Wall of Wishes" fits into it The "ride" of pubishing the trilogy starting with "The Fountain" in 2015 - and how that eventually led to writing full time How, with the first two books in the trilogy, Suzy sold far more print books than eBooks, despite her small press publisher not having full proper bookstore distribution warehousing and channels The way that kids read more print books than digital books - Selling thousands of copies of her print books by doing multiple in person events throughout the year Two two tours every year sponsored by the Alberta Book Society The talks Suzy does at the schools, which aren't just about her books, but about the possibilities that exists in multiple careers for curious students Earning a speakers fee as a fiction author - and the importance of not speaking for free The special things that Suzy has done for in person book launch events, such as the party for over 300 people at a local brewery (with a free beer offer for guests), and the giant prop fountain that she toured bookstores with Hitting the bestseller list from a major launch event because the book sales were done through a local indie bookstore (that reports into the local newspapers bestseller list, which also rolls into the national newspaper bestseller lists) Partnering with local bookstore Owls Nest for a virtual book launch that was being broadcast live from the vacant bookstore (featuring Suzy and bookstore manager Stacey Kondla) in a physically distancing-safe manner Why Suzy started filling the fountain with lollypops after discovering a couple of issues with water The pennies Suzy has collected to allow people to make a wish in the fountain - an excellent ice-breaker (at least pre-Covid) How Suzy took over the reins for book three in this trilogy from her publisher without ruining the existing solid relationship she had with them The challenge of what was going to happen with a book launch originally planned for April 2020 - and then the global pandemic hit, throwing all those plans into a tail spin Earning the rank of Aurora Awards finalist for the first two books in the series, and winning the Bronze Medalian from Reader's Favourite for Best Young Adult Romance (which came with an actual medal that Suzy wore all over the place, and also brings it to school events) The listing of custom programs Suzy offers for author talks which appear on her website (include link) The value of tenacity and the ability to pivot The importance of playing to your strengths And more . . . After the interview, Mark reflects on two of the things Suzy mentioned: "If you're entertaining as an author, then presumably your books are also entertaining" "Play to your strengths..." Links of Interest: Suzy Vadori's Website Social Media Facebook Twitter Instagram Video of this Interview Owl's Nest Books Wild Rose Brewery Episode 139 - Dreaming, Singing, and Moving People with Ashley Joanisse Ashley's YouTubeChannel Hey Bartender American Dream Blue Wave - American Resistance Song Episode 140 - Writing Your Memoir with Rachael Herron Mark's Tavern (A Cheers Parody) Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Suzy is a Book Coach, Editor, Public Speaker and the Calgary Bestselling Author of The Fountain Series (The Fountain, The West Woods, Wall of Wishes). This fantastical Young Adult Series has received two Aurora Nominations for Best Young Adult Novel, as well as Five Stars and a bronze medallion from Readers' Favorite Book Awards. Suzy lives in Calgary, Canada with her husband and three children and is an involved member in the writing community. She is a Program Manager for Calgary's When Words Collide (WWC), teaches writing at Alexandra Writers' Centre Society, and is a touring member of the Young Alberta Book Society. Suzy is also the founder of WriteIt! creative writing programs in schools. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech

Mark interviews Luanga Nuwame (or Lue, as most of his friends affectionately know him), a 43-year old Canadian comic book publisher and writer, YouTube cardboard craft artist, board game developer, and author. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, reveals the Patreon winner of a "story stuck" consultation with Clark Chamberlain, and shares a personal update including the creation of a short Cheers parody called Mark's Tavern. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their discussion, Mark and Lue talk about: How writing was a great outlet for Lue, particularly when he was younger, suffered from depression, didn't know how else to emote The joy of being able to escape into fantasy by creating different stories How Silver Surfer #4 was what started Lue's love of comic books as a medium that could be truly appreciated on multiple levels Lue's Paper, Rock, Scissors comic book and how playing the game with someone from Mongolia inspired Lue that it was a universal game that transcended language and culture Wondering what might happen if Paper, Rock, and Scissors were given human attributes and the story was set in space Coming up with how paper could defeat rock - it's obvious, rocks are claustrophobic How Lue found artist collaborators to work with who illustrated his comic books Getting into YouTube in 2008 and then discovering what could be done with cardboard crafting, and the accompanying videos showing how to make these crafts Creating a modular board game of huge octagons that can fill the entire living room and yet still stack and be tucked away when not in use The "Beautiful Canada" collectible series that Lue created celebrating the uniqueness of each province How Lue makes all of his unique cardboard crafts by hand The way that Lue learned how to interact with people when at his author/artist table The sense of community and networking that happens at these in person events, not just with the general public, but with fellow writers and artists The difficulty Lue has been facing with the recent loss of in person events due to the global pandemic Lue's book The Cardboard Bible where he provides designs and templates to help others with their own cardboard creations And so much more . . . After the interview, Mark reflects on how Lue learned and developed from a past failure, and also how he has adapted and innovated with cardboard in a unique and inspiring way that writers can learn from. Links of Interest: Lue's Website Lue's YouTube Channel Lue's Amazon Author Page The Cardboard Bible Episode 140 - Writing Your Memoir with Rachael Herron Mark's Tavern (A Cheers Parody) Mark's Stupid Dad Joke Short Film "The Things We Miss Most" Night Cries (Audio Book) Findaway Voices Story Stuck Consulation Up, Up, And Away Superhero Storybundle Patreon for Stark Reflections Luanga Nuwame (or Lue, as most of his friends affectionately know him), is a 43-year old Canadian comic book publisher and writer, YouTube cardboard craft artist, board game developer, and author. Residing in Mississauga, Ontario, Nuwame operates the Homemade Game Guru YouTube channel to showcase his love for making all sorts of crazy creations out of cardboard. Be it furniture, exercise equipment, geek crafts, or swimming pools, there is no limit to what Nuwame can make out of cardboard. Nuwame's past cardboard designs have been featured on CBC News, CTV News, Make Magazine, The Toronto Star, Global News and Readers Digest. He achieved a world's record from The World's Record Academy in 2009 for the 'World's Largest Board Game Made by One Person'. Nuwame is also the founder of Zelpha Comics (named after his grandmother) and he acts as the principal writer and letterer for all published issues. He created the series Paper Rock Scissors N' Stuff Wars (the classic hand game brought to life on a distant planet), Enter the World of Mephistopheles (a new horror series) and The Adventures of Little Petalianne (a children's comic series). Beyond comics, Nuwame is a self-published author of a wide range of books. His novels include The Fantabulously Awesome Life of a Charity Donation Truck Driver (an expose on the clothing donation business), The Boy With Zero Self-Esteem (a memoir about his past battles with depression and loneliness), Hi, My Name is Karma (a short story 'thriller'), Smoking a 'J' With Jesus (religious criticisms), and multiple The Adventures of Little Petalianne children's books. 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 Rachael Herron about her writing, her multiple pseudonyms, being a hybrid author, and writing memoirs. Prior to the interview, Mark shares some comments from recent episodes and via Twitter, some information about an offer the Clark Chamberlain has for his Story Stuck Consultation, and a personal update. He also thanks new patron Johanna Rothman as well as all existing patrons for the podcast, and lets his patrons know that they were automatically entered in a chance to win a story stuck consultation from Clark. In their conversation, Mark and Rachael discuss: The thought that being a writer is like having homework for the rest of your life Rachael's thriller (Hush Little Baby) that she just turned into her editor at Penguin Random House and which comes out in May 2021 Getting over the "who cares" issues she was having working on this novel in the middle of a global pandemic and a world-wide drive to end systemic racism by recognizing that it's okay to delve deep into a focused project like this How willpower can be a finite, exhaustible resource How a good writer can take people out of their normal world and the feeling when a reader reaches out to let Rachael know that her book has moved them or helped them The feeling when you're reading a book that the person who wrote it "just gets you" The value of feeling seen and heard, of community, and of responding to reader emails Being involved in blogging from the early days, and the connections that can come out of that The fact that, despite appearing to share everything socially and on blogs, podcasts, etc, the content is actually curated - but that it's still authentic Rachael's book "Fast Draft Your Memoir: Write Your Life Story in 45 Hours" The importance of recognizing that there are plenty of people who want to write a memoir but who don't want to writers How there are so many genres within memoir One of the principal tenants of a good memoir - in that you treat yourself more critically than anyone else, and that you give and show grace to anyone who might have done you wrong How when you write about the most uncomfortable things how people really lean in to listen How Rachael's book "Letters to New Authors" is based on a series of emails she created to encourage other writers Being a fully hybrid author, and the mental shift involved when Rachael moves between traditional and indie publishing How not having control of little things can drive Rachael crazy with some of her books How Rachael's books, both, traditionally published and indie published, tend to sell better in eBook format The advice that Rachael would give to her younger self Ira Glass's theory of "the gap" And so much more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on writing about uncomfortable things. Links of Interest: Rachael Herron's Website Rachael's Resources for Writers (Including a weekly encouragement newsletter) Rachael's Essays on the Creative Life (Patreon) Rachael's Podcasts How Do You Write? The Writer's Well Rachael interviewed by Mark on the Draft2Digital Spotlight The Writer's Well EP 178 - If You Couldn't Write Books, How Would You Be Creative? (Mark guest co-host) Episode 137 - Dreaming, Singing, and Moving People with Ashley Joanisse Episode 138 - Cash Flow for Creators with Michael W. Lucas Mark's Stupid Dad Joke Short Film "The Things We Miss Most" Public Lending Right Program Canada Public Lending Right International Story Stuck Consulation Up, Up, And Away Superhero Storybundle Patreon for Stark Reflections Rachael Herron is the internationally bestselling author of more than two dozen books, including thrillers (under R.H. Herron), mainstream fiction, feminist romance, memoir, and nonfiction about writing. She received her MFA in writing from Mills College, Oakland, and she teaches writing extension workshops at both UC Berkeley and Stanford. She is a proud member of the NaNoWriMo Writer's Board and is the host and co-host of two awesome podcasts for writers. 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 Ashley Joanisse, a Canadian Country Singer-Songwriter who writes songs about politics, love, and life. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, welcomes new patron Krista D. Ball, thanks patrons, and reads a word from this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In his personal update, Mark shares a new StoryBundle that he is a part of, which launched on June 18, 2020, as well as a pair of videos he recently released focusing on how to pronounce his last name. In their conversation, Ashley and Mark talk about: Where Ashley's love of music first started The fact that Ashley always payed close attention to the lyrics of the songs she listened to The strong desire to write her own music rather than cover someone else's songs The little journey that Ashley kept since she was about thirteen years old, constantly jotting down poems, notes, song lyrics, and other things that inspired her Writing a chorus that might stay in the journal for several years before the lyrics for the rest of the song came to her Ashley's introduction to music in the 8th grade, and first learning how to play chords on the guitar Playing by ear - she has not yet learned how to read music The first guitar class Ashley was in where the instructor laid out a rule that nobody was allowed to play "Smoke on the Water" The very first song that Ashley nailed, which was "Outsider" by Taylor Swift How Mark learned about Ashley when she was putting out a collaborative call for people to submit video clips for a forthcoming video release Ashley's first single, "Hey Bartender!" How the song reminds Mark of a classic tune like "Piano Man" from Billy Joel The way that the music video was partially inspired by the clips Ashley received from friends and strangers How "Hey Bartender" was written and recorded two years ago and was produced about one year previously and the depression and circumstances that delayed the release The way that the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic inspired her out of the funk she had been stuck within The logistics of how Ashley created the video for "Hey Bartender" completely on her own How Ashley pulled off a video where she played two different characters (bartender and patron) in the same shot (and the way she learned how to do it) The difficulty for an artist when you put something out and you get virtually no response to the effort (something that is common for writers, musicians and other artists) (A little mix up where Mark's Google device starts playing a song) Ashley's latest song, titled "American Dream" which is a song inspired by tweets from the 45h president of the United States How this song allows her to express something she feels so intensely and how listening to the song can perhaps help others who feel the same way The way that "American Dream" is like the Arkells song "People's Champ" in that it's a powerful and catchy song, but there's an underlying meaning that some listeners might not actually pick up on How Ashley felt so strongly about releasing this song that she went out and bought professional equipment to produce it The mechanics of how Ashley recorded the song and produced the video for "American Dream" Why it's important to actually sing instead of lip syncing when you're trying to lip sync to an audio track for a music video Mark's impression of how bad the lip syncing on Grease 2 was The way that feedback from her two recent releases has further inspired her to want to continue to write and record more songs The irony of two negative things (a global pandemic and a narcissistic president who feeds on ignorance, fear, and lies) that inspired art, and got Ashley out of the depression she had been in Why Taylor Swift is a major influence on Ashley The advice that Ashley would give to her younger self And more . . . After the interview, Mark reflects on two of the things Ashley spoke about. The idea that if you stop, you'll never ever write that song that might move people, and how writing and music is a way to allow people to have a voice, to say things they are thinking and feeling about, which can empower writers/musicians and readers/listeners. Links of Interest: Ashley Joanisse Facebook Page Twitter Instagram YouTube Hey Bartender Music Video American Dream Music Video Episode 138 - Cash Flow for Creators with Michael W. Lucas Mark's Recent Videos How to Pronounce Lefebvre You Call Me Fever Music Video (Parody of Fever) Up, Up, And Away Superhero Storybundle Patreon for Stark Reflections Ashley Joanisse is a Canadian Country Singer-Songwriter who writes songs about politics, love, and life. She is an activist for human rights, and feels that we need to take a stand against hate and injustice anytime we can! Ashley has always had an interest in music since she was a little girl and her passions remain music and wri

In this episode, Mark interviews Michael W. Lucas about he books he has written which range range from crime and SF thrillers to arcane tomes on how to build your own Verizon. They also chat quite a bit about Michael's latest book: Cash Flow for Creators. In the opening of the episode, Mark shares some comments from recent episodes, as well as a word from this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Immediately prior to the interview Mark shares a personal update about his recent appearance on the overnight radio program Coast to Coast with George Noory, and all the positive results that came from that. In their conversation, Michael and Mark talk about: How writing for Michael started when he was about 4 and realized that books were created by human beings and this was something people could grow up to do The evolution of getting to full time writer via rejection notices, selling more and more things, and working on the craft Michael's start in writing writing for table top games The styles of fiction that Michael writes and where his heart is in writing The many "what ifs" that Michael enjoys, such as "What if there were Orcs in 1927 Detroit running booze across the border?" What happened to make leaving the full-time role as a writer possible, which involved a lot of watching Michael's new book for writers called CALL FLOW FOR CREATORS and why it was written out of self-defense The reality that making a living is about cashflow How evening out cashflow helps reduce the highs and lows of the typical cycle of a writer's income The importance of looking at one's lifestyle, where they live, how they want to live, when making decisions regarding the amount of money they need to make, the expenses they are willing to live with, etc The special editions that Michael does of some of his books, made specifically for his readers How, if you can do something special that speaks to your people, how Michael would encourage you to give it a try The way that Michael does his crowd-funding a little differently, using disintermediation, rather than using IndieGoGo or Kickstarter How not only are all of Michael's books published wide everywhere, but that they are all also available for sale direct The sponsorships that Michael does that includes surprises, such as a gift he will send you upon the book's publication And more . . . After the interview, Mark reflects on a few things that Michael spoke about, including when you know your fans, you can feed them the right things that they value, and how people will support you and they WANT you to succeed - if you treat your readers well. Mark then shares details about how listeners can win a copy of Michael's book Cashflow for Creators. Links of Interest: Michael's Website Episode 137 - Action Sequences and Sex Scenes with Joshua Essoe Joshua's Kickstarter Project: Essoe's Guide to Writing: Action Sequences and Sex Scenes! Coast to Coast AM with George Noory (June 5, 2020) Patreon for Stark Reflections Michael W Lucas has written 30-odd books, ranging from crime and SF thrillers to arcane tomes on how to build your own Verizon. His latest book is "Cash Flow for Creators." 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 editor Joshua Essoe who has edited for bestsellers, Piers Anthony and David Farland, for Dean Lorey, lead writer of Arrested Development, as well as numerous Writers of the Future winners, and USA Today bestsellers. Prior to the interview, Mark reads some comments from recent episodes, reveals the winner of Sacha Black's Anatomy of Prose and says a word about this episode's sponsors, the patrons of the podcast. Mark also shares a person update that includes: Work being done on his Canadian Werewolf series of books A new non-fiction writing project he will be releasing in the Fall of 2020: Wide for the Win In their conversation, Mark and Joshua talk about: How, 11 years ago, Joshua accidentally fell into the role of editor Joshua's previous role as an old book restorer Being a book nerd since Joshua was 7 years old Asking Brandon Sanderson to read one of his stories and the generous and constructive feedback he was offered Advice from Superstars Writing Seminars that led Joshua to deciding to take on a new challenge, editing a fellow author's fantasy novel Setting a goal of editing one of David Farland's novels The difference between restoring old books and working as an editor The genres that Joshua specializes in as an editor (science fiction, fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction) The importance of aligning your writing and your goals with the right editor The new book project Joshua is releasing and how he is launching it using Kickstarter The first book: Action Sequences and Sex Scenes and why Joshua is releasing that one first And more . . . After the interview, Mark reflects on the huge success Joshua saw on his Kickstarter project within the first 6 hours and first four days and a quote from the artist James A. Owen, who designed his new non-fiction books. Links of Interest: Joshua Essoe's Website Joshua's Kickstarter Project: Essoe's Guide to Writing: Action Sequences and Sex Scenes! Episode 133 - Anatomy of a Rebel with Sacha Black Episode 135 - Creative Collaborations in FerroCity with Joe Scacciaferro Career Author Summit Patreon for Stark Reflections Joshua Essoe has edited for bestsellers, Piers Anthony and David Farland, including the multi-award-winning novel, Nightingale. He's also edited for Dean Lorey, lead writer of Arrested Development, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, former director at Kobo, numerous Writers of the Future winners, USA Today bestsellers, and many other top-notch independents. He was lead editor at Urban Fantasy Magazine from 2014-2015. From 2012-2015 he recorded the weekly writing podcast Hide and Create with co-hosts Michael J. Sullivan, Diana Rowland, Jay Wells, and Debbie Viguie. You can find Joshua teaching about pitches, back cover copy, and editing every year at the Superstars Writing Seminars in CO. His approach to editing is to help you make your story the best version of itself it can be. Joshua is also a writer. He was a 2014 finalist in the Writers of the Future contest, and is in the process of releasing his first in a series of non-fiction books on editing for writers. 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 Brian Rathbone who is an international #1 Bestselling author on Google Play with both audiobooks and eBooks. Brian talks about the strategies and things he has learned about success in selling audiobooks, a market he has been playing in for two decades now, so he has a lot of learning to share there - as well as how he reached #1 on Google Play, a market that a lot of authors are struggling to learn and understand. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes and reminds listeners of their chance to win a signed copy of Sacha Black's latest book, Anatomy of Prose, by commenting on Episode 133 as per the episode and show notes details, prior to the end of day Friday May 29, 2020. This episode is sponsored by the wonderful patrons of the Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing Podcast. You can learn how you can become a patron, gain access to special patron-only prizes and also receive bonus patron-only episodes of the podcast as well as other additional text and video patron content at www.patreon.com/starkreflections. In their conversation, Brian and Mark discuss: How Brian got into his writing career, and the programming career he had prior to that The day that Brian started typing the first novel one day while sitting in the Atlanta airport in 2005 and felt a change coming The various jobs and roles that Brian worked at and played over the years How Brian ended up falling into the role of helping other writers by publishing their work and creating tools to help small publishers The royalty calculation software that Brian started to develop Brian's early introduction to audio via podiobooks years before audiobooks started to be a growing option for indie authors Some of the successes that Brian has had with audio promotions using a "loss leader" model for the first book in a series How his "first free book in series" led to being ranked as the #1 downloaded free audiobook on Google Play, and the resulting sales of the rest of the series from that What happened when Brian took an entire audiobook digital box set trilogy that sold for close to $30 and making it 99 cents for a full month via a Chirp promotion The importance of including a sample at the end of an audiobook to lead the person to the next audiobook Methods and techniques that Brian has learned work really well and have helped him become a top seller on Google Play Things Brian has learned that he would tell his younger self And more After the interview, Mark reflects on a few things Brian talked about, including the unique metadata fields that different retailers might focus on or use in a different way to help prop up a book in bold new ways. Links of Interest: Brian Rathbone's Website Brian on Twitter Episode 133 - Anatomy of a Rebel with Sacha Black Patreon for Stark Reflections Career Author Summit 20BooksVegas #1 International bestselling fantasy author Brian Rathbone is a bit odd. After growing up training standard bred racehorses, he went to work at a nuclear plant before helping to build the Internet. When he isn't writing, Brian tells a few too many bad dragon jokes on Twitter and spends a lot of time thinking about unicorns. 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 Joe Scacciaferro who has been in the media and entertainment business for over 30 years, has founded and run several successful media and entertainment production and technical support companies, most noticeably FerroProductions, and is behind the collaborative platform FerroCity. Prior to the interview, Mark shares some comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In the interview Mark and Joe talk about: How story has always been important in Joe's life, and how that sometimes backfired when he was a young child The way that everything is a story, and the more that we are comfortable with story, the better we can engage with others Joe's musical background, and how story through music was one of his first loves and felt natural to him The prominence of unplanned transitions in Joe's life How it can be ALL about the journey Different types of collaborations that creative storytellers can work on together in music verses prose writing The critical nature of music and how it impacts a visual storytelling medium The different types of documentary projects that Joe has worked on over the years Fascinating answers you can get from some basic simple questions The critical balance of skill combined with a solid community How everything you learn is important to everything you do The way that the collaborative community of FerroCity is the culmination of Joe's entire career How the platform FerroCity helps connect the community together and learn from the way people engage with it How writers who are interested in checking it out can begin to participate in the FerroCity community and platform Why Joe says that you can't learn anything unless it's entertaining The three phases of FerroCity that are being rolled out the spring/summer of 2020 Why Mark calls this platform a type of "Field of Dreams" How a team can synergize over a single posting on a platform like this The camaraderie that comes from working alongside other team members After the interview, Mark reflects on the universal nature of storytelling, and the unimagined and unforeseen benefits that can result from creative collaboration. Links of Interest: FerroCity Ferro Productions Episode 133 - Anatomy of a Rebel with Sacha Black Episode 97 - 10 Tips for Marketing and Making Money off Your Short Fiction The Stay Home Story Summit Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Isolation Parody Songs (K-Tel Spoof Commercial) Spud Wars: A New Helplessness (Parody Movie Trailer) Stuck in this House here with You (Parody Music Video) Dad Joke Short: The Things We Miss Most Dad Joke Short: Dramatic Exit Dad Joke Short: Skeleton Jokes Career Author Summit Bookfunnel 20BooksVegas Joe Scacciaferro has been in the media and entertainment business for over 30 years and has founded and run several successful media and entertainment production and technical support companies, most noticeably FerroProductions. He has been honored with 5 Emmys, 9 Emmy nominations, co-authored 15 books on the creative use of music technology, written music scores for broadcast programming, produced dozens of network sports shows / documentaries and been honored with two super bowl rings from the NY Giants for his programming efforts during the past 20 years. Joe's creative abilities are self-evident based on the longevity and diverse successes of his career. But when asked about his single greatest professional accomplishment, he will always point to enormous career successes of his interns. He is a strong believer in creative collaboration, and networking opportunities, and he shares an exciting new project called FerroCity, which represents the culmination of his extraordinary career and life. 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 Melissa Dalton Martinez, a publishing industry PR and marketing manager, marketing consultant, and media professional. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a word about this episode's sponsor (the awesome Patrons of this podcast), and a personal update. In his personal update, Mark talks about the creative collaborative projects that he and his partner Liz have been working on - parody music videos, and how a chance in perspective looking at a bowl filled with broken egg yolks resulted in an unexpected and delicious breakfast that was better than what was originally planned. In their interview Mark and Melissa talk about: Where the show that Melissa runs "The Book Break" runs and what the content of the episodes are How Melissa helps authors get onto various different media and the coaching that she does to prepare them for their appearances Melissa's entrance into the publishing world as a PAR representative in 2003 How Melissa is one of those "one more chapter" readers at bed time Why it is easier than ever right now to get interviewed by local media The way that Melissa can spin a story off of anything, and usually creates a minimum of about five story options before she begins to pitch to a particular media outlet Advice for the best way to approach pitching to media or a podcast as a potential guest How an author should go about crafting a pitch to a media professional The importance of going with what you know, and understanding the types of shows that the media outlet you are pitching has recently released Melissa's favorite way to craft a pitch How it is the guest's job to make it easy for the host/producer of the media outlet you are pitching to The reason why it's important to create a list of questions for the media outlet you are pitching to (and sometimes, also the answers you'll provide) Why it is important, whenever you're doing an interview to act as if the interview is live Methods of sending materials, such as pictures, to the producers, ahead of the broadcast, with suggestions of where the images might best be inserted within a segment The importance of the right author photo that is appropriate and relevant for your author brand Why a high resolution image is really important for television The way that professional reviews work, which ones are out there, and the options that an author has for a paid professional review Why professional reviews in spots such as Kirkus are important for library acquisition of books And more.... After the interview, Mark reflects on the importance of how it is the guest's job to make it as easy on the host, on the producer, as possible. in the same way that it's the book's description's job to make it as easy as possible for the ideal reader to want to have to buy and read a book. He also talks about how, with the Covid-19 related isolation taking place, that authors have greater opportunity for various media outlets that, prior, would have only been possible with physical proximity and having to be in the studio. Links of Interest: Melissa's Website: The Book Break Sacha Black's Podcasts Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Isolation Parody Songs (K-Tel Spoof Commercial) Spud Wars: A New Helplessness (Parody Movie Trailer) Stuck in this House here with You (Parody Music Video) Melissa Dalton Martinez has worked in the publishing industry on and off as a PR and marketing manager, marketing consultant, and media professional since 2000. After graduating college in 2003, Melissa has helped others grow their careers, run her own businesses, spoken at countless conferences, helped coordinate many events, worked with radio, TV, newspapers, movies, podcasts, YouTube shows, and even became the producer and host of her own TV mini-series, The Book Break. In addition to The Book Break, Melissa works as a private marketing, branding, and media consultant; a marketing expert for Eschler Editing; and a book reviewer for various media outlets. 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 Sacha Black about her role and brand as a Rebel Author, about her writing, her podcast, and about her books for writers on crafting heroes, villains, and prose. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, talking about recent birthday activities, a recent Star Wars parody video he created, and what that type of creation means to him as a writer. He then shares some comments from recent episodes and a word from this podcast's sponsor, Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Sacha and Mark talk about: Where Sacha's "Rebel Author" brand came from, and how she has always been a bit of a rebel How, the best way to get Sacha to do something is to ask her not to do it The way that being an indie author is a bit rebellious in and of itself The thrill of being a little bit naughty How people are able to connect when you are being more authentic Being on the border of introvert/extrovert and the connection with others that Sacha values from running her podcast The appearance of confidence from the outside, and how the indie author community has allowed Sacha to regain some confidence Being very intentional about wanting to leave her full time job to become a full time writer, and the planning and staging she worked on to get there Sacha's life of being passionate about reading and writing How a character Sacha originally wrote when she was 9 years old became the protagonist in her first novel The randomness in the way that characters Sacha creates come to her The combination of terrible memory and super geek that is part of Sacha's process as a writer How she never intended to write non-fiction, but completely fell in love with it The way that an overnight 100K of hits on a series of blog posts she wrote about villains led to filling a hole in the market and a path of loving writing non-fiction How Sacha's new non-fiction title, The Anatomy of Prose, started off as a labor of love The purposeful branding on the covers of these three non-fiction books for writers and how they incorporate three core values The process of recording the audiobooks herself How Sacha and her wife have negotiated the landscape of raising a six year old and each of them getting their work done Katie Forest's book called Time Management for Writers and what she has to say about times of crisis How the hardest thing for Sacha in terms of her work-life balance is letting go of the parental guilt The challenge of finding books for a young reader whose comprehension for words has surpassed most content meant for people their age The fact that if Sacha is terrified of something she is compelled to jump right in Using made-up swear words After the interview, Marks a few reflections about things the chat with Sacha made him think about. He also shares how listeners can win a signed copy of Sacha's latest book by commenting on this episode. (Opportunity to win ends May 29, 2020 when a random drawing of commenters will take place). He also thanks Patrons of the show and shares that Patrons will be automatically entered in a chance to win a set of Sacha's three books for writers, just by being patrons. The random draw for that will take place at the same time. Links of Interest: Sacha Black's Website Sacha's Podcasts Sacha's Facebook Author Profile Sacha on Instagram Episode 132 - Lauding the Art of Music with Martin Popoff Episode 130 - Grace Under Pressure with Kevin J Anderson Episode 97 - 10 Tips for Marketing and Making Money off Your Short Fiction The Creative Penn - EP 487 - Writing and Selling Short Fiction with Matty Dalrymple Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's Proposal Video (Song "Liz" by Alicia Witt) Spud Wars: A New Helplessness (Parody Movie Trailer) Stuck in this House here with You (Parody Music Video) Sacha Black is an author, rebel podcaster, speaker and developmental editor. She has five obsessions; words, expensive shoes, conspiracy theories, self-improvement, and breaking the rules. Sacha writes books about people with magical powers and other books about the art of writing. When she's not writing, she can be found laughing inappropriately loud, sniffing musty old books, fangirling film and TV soundtracks, or thinking up new ways to break the rules. She lives in Hertfordshire, England, with her wife and genius, giant of a son. 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 Martin Popoff about his latest book ANTHEM: Rush in the 70's as well as a lifetime of passion writing about music. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and some comments from recent episodes, and a word from this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Martin and Mark talk about: Martin's introduction to music when he was six or seven years old Turning people into metal-heads when Martin was working at a record store about the age of fifteen How people learned about music and records prior to the internet How Martin's love and passion for music evoled into life of writing about music, which he started to do full time in 2000 Martin's first book, which was a self-published book of a collection of record reviews, which later got picked up by a traditional publisher in 1997 Writing 9 or 10 music books per year The style of music review that Martin prefers to write The importance of talking about and lauding the art of the entire music production when writing a book about musicians and their work The interesting nature of the narrative of the story of a band and the narrative of a band's concept album How Martin values letting the band speak for themselves in the books he writes about them, relying on actual quotes from lengthy interviews, rather than blatantly injecting his own theory into the narrative The different listening experiences of listening to a full album start to finish from a vinyl LP and listening to it in custom single song chunks in a digital era The recent collaborative Canadian multi-location/self-isolation version of "Lean on Me" from Canada Strong Martin's original 2003 Rush biography: Contents Under Pressure which is now out of date and out of print How the desire to write a single comprehensive updated book about Rush resulted in well over 350,000 words and 3 volumes. Anthem: Rush in the 70s. (May 202) Limelight: Rush in the 80s (Oct 2020) Drive: Rush in the 90s (In the End) (Spring 2021) The use of interview footage from Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage Something that surprised Martin in writing these volumes How there is nobody who sounds like Rush and that are, in many ways, their own unique genre in music What a good gate-way Rush song might be for someone who doesn't think their music is accessible Martin's Podcast: History in Five Songs What music Martin listens to when he is writing After the interview, Mark reflects on the volume of publishing Martin has done, which is atypical for a traditionally published author; he also reflects on the dynamic nature of the relationship and flexibility he has with his publisher. Links of Interest: Martin Popoff's Website Martin's Podcast: History in Five Songs Episode 130 - Grace Under Pressure with Kevin J Anderson Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 "thanks for the inspiration" episode, Mark reflects on how Todd Anderson was an important colleague whose influence, mentorship, and leadership resulted in a critical shift in his career. Prior to the main segment, Mark shares a personal update, some comments from recent episodes, and a word from this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Links of Interest: The FISH Philosophy of Customer Service Episode 130 - Grace Under Pressure with Kevin J Anderson Mark's Audiobooks (on sale) at Nook The 7 P's of Publishing Success Evasion Campus Chills Anthology Campus Chills Book Launches Espresso Book Machine / On Demand Books Examining Alternative Futures for Publishing Tell Me About The Early Days of Self Publishing Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Thanks for the Inspiration is a type of show that appears from time to time in the regular schedule for this podcast. As writers, we often absorb elements from the world, the places, and the people around us. We observe, we ask questions, we speculative, we listen, we watch, we feel, and we write so much of that down which gets re-integrated, like some sort of sausage creation, into the stories and words and worlds we share with our readers. Thanks for the Inspiration episodes are an attempt to acknowledge and say thanks to the people, places, and things that have helped to either feed the muse, or perhaps just to feed the very soul and makeup of the writer behind that writing. 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 Kevin J. Anderson about dictating his first drafts, about adapting to change in the publishing industry and about writing through personal tragedy, grief, and trauma. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and goes into detail about the challenges he has faced with not being able to focus or write in the past several weeks, falling behind in several writing deadlines. But he talks about how he has continued to be creative, and that creators will always create. He shares a writing warm-up practice he has started again - writing parody lyrics to songs and poetry. He then shares the experience of doing that recently and collaborating with Liz, the opening and closing voice of the podcast, and his fiance. He shares the music video they created on Easter Sunday and how working on that project has reinvigorated his own creative spirit and energy; particularly as a reminder for the fact that the world needs writers, and the smiles this parody song and video have inspired is an example of why writers do what they do. Mark then shares the audio for the song as well as the fact he will be teaching an online class on April 22nd in a series from Jane Friedman. After the song, Mark shares listener comments from recent episodes and then offers a word from this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and Kevin talk about: Finally getting around to this interview, as it's something they've been meaning to do for years, and are finally getting to How Kevin has always been a dictator when it comes to his writing, dictating while taking long walks or hikes in the Colorado mountains The fact that Kevin can still do his regular writing during these self-isolation times the same way he always has The importance of trying dictation for more than just a short time, or once or twice, paralleling it to the way writers have learned typing and keyboarding skills Tips for getting started in dictation, such as using dictation for a brainstorming session Keeping so many different book projects that are in different stages (as a hybrid author with multiple traditional and indie-publishing projects on the go) How Kevin's first published novel has much of the RUSH album "Grade Under Pressure" woven into it, and how that book is what ultimately connected Kevin to RUSH drummer and lyricist, Neil Peart The thirty-plus year relationship that Kevin had with Neil Peart and the co-authoring they have done together How the recent Drumbeats project of Kevin and Neil's first collaboration is being re-released in a special limited edition print run Managing writing through times of loss, grief, stress and anxiety How the new Dune film, and the paperback release of one of Kevin's traditionally published books are being affected and delayed by Covid-19 The masters in publishing program that Kevin is teaching for Western Colorado University and the publishing projects that the students are working on for that How Superstars Writing Seminars originated with Kevin, his wife Rebecca Moesta, Brandon Sanderson, David Farland, and Eric Flint getting together to figure out the changes in the publishing industry about twelve years ago And more . . . After the interview, Mark reflects on how he and Kevin had kept putting off doing this interview for years, and the parallel to how Kevin and Neil had always put the Drumbeats special edition project on the back burner. He talks about other projects and things he'd continued to put off, and what thinking about that inspires. Mark then shares an opportunity for listeners to win one of two copies of Kevin's book. A book for writers (On Being a Dictator) and the special limited edition book (Drumbeats). Commenters and Patrons will be entered in a draw for the prizes which will be done after midnight Eastern time on Friday May 1, 2020. Links of Interest: Kevin J. Anderson's Website WordFire Press Kevin in Twitter Superstars Writing Seminars Steve Otis - Artist Mark's Audiobooks (on sale) at Nook The 7 P's of Publishing Success Evasion Jane Friedman's Online Class: Creating Income and Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction Episode 114 - Thanks for the Inspiration, Neil Peart Episode 125 -Simplifying, Streamlining, and Organizing with Janice Savage Episode 128 - Healthy Home Workspaces with Roland Denzel Episode 129 - Prepare for the Ultimate Gaslighting Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Kevin J. Anderson has published more than 165 books, 56 of which have been national or international bestsellers. He has written numerous novels in the Star Wars, X-Files, and Dune universes, as well as unique steampunk fantasy novels Clockwork Angels and Clockwork Lives, written with legendary rock drummer Neil Peart, based on the concept album by the band Rush. Kevin's original works include the Saga

In this additional "between episodes" addition, Mark shares a Medium article with the following important message. "From one citizen to another, I beg of you: take a deep breath, ignore the deafening noise, and think deeply about what you want to put back into your life. This is our chance to define a new version of normal, a rare and truly sacred (yes, sacred) opportunity to get rid of the bullshit and to only bring back what works for us, what makes our lives richer, what makes our kids happier, what makes us truly proud. We get to Marie Kondo the shit out of it all. We care deeply about one another. That is clear. That can be seen in every supportive Facebook post, in every meal dropped off for a neighbor, in every Zoom birthday party. We are a good people. And as a good people, we want to define — on our own terms — what this country looks like in five, 10, 50 years. This is our chance to do that, the biggest one we have ever gotten. And the best one we'll ever get." The message is from the article "Prepare for the Ultimate Gaslighting" by Julio Vincent Gambuto. Mark then reflects on the importance of this moment in time and the "reset" that can happen. This episode contains explicit language which may offend some listeners. Links of Interest: Julio's Medium Article Julio Vincent's Website Patreon for Stark Reflections The son of a bus-driver-slash-bread-baker, Julio Vincent ("Julie") grew up in a large Italian family on New York's Staten Island, where aunts, uncles, and cousins gathered often around Mom's seafoam-green formica kitchen table for "cake and coffee" — always an Entenmann's crumb cake — to tell stories, argue about the Mets, and play cards with the neighbors. After seven years on merit scholarship at the prestigious Staten Island Academy, Julie left the borough for Harvard, where he graduated with a BA in English and American Literature and Language, with honors. He completed his training as a film director at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he was honored as an Annenberg Fellow. Julio Vincent recently completed post-production on his first feature film, Team Marco, and is currently developing the feature family comedy, The Julie Stories. In 2017, Julio founded Boro Five, an independent film and television content production company. He serves as Executive Producer of the company's slate. Julio has written and produced film and television content for Nickelodeon, PBS, E! Entertainment, and James Franco's Rabbit Bandini. Learn more below. Julio lives in New York City. 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 shares a live chat with Roland Denzel, AKA the Indestructable Author, from April 2, 2020 about Strategies for a Healthy Home Workspace. Roland shares what people can do to maintain health and exercise with limited space and no equipment; fundamentals of creating an ergonomic workspace in your home, and much more. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a reflection on how he feels Covid-19 is going to become a major tipping point for the way that people consume books and move from print-book puritans to eReading adoptions. He also shares the fact that it's likely the major publishers are going to be forced to finally properly dip their toes into the eBook pool. Mark then shares comments from recent episodes and a word from this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and Roland talk about: Roland's background as a writer and health coach and advocate focusing on the nutrition and habit side of things His plans for writing a series and stacking them for a consistent release schedule Taking a "Supercharge your Protagonist" course with H Claire Taylor to help improve his fiction The side-effects of living behind a keyboard for thirty years that include carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar neuropathy How moving around for as little as 5 minutes every thirty minutes or so can reduce your blood sugar by up to 20% and improve insulin sensitivie by as much as 20% How coffee isn't the big problem that many people say it is, and can be useful because if you drink it, you're likely getting up to go to the washroom more often, and thus moving more The Pomodoro technique which follows 25 / 5 - 25 minutes of work, followed by 5 minutes of a break, or rest How just a little bit of planning can help you maintain better health and productivity Roland's perspective on ergonomics The importance of what Roland calls "the dynamic office" Things people can do to get exercise without equipment, in limited space, or without being able to go to the gym How much people underestimate the value of walking How important it is to make changes from a sedentary lifestyle in small steps or stages In general how the healthier you are, the easier it is to focus Strategies for dealing with anxiety in a limited or shared work space And more... After the interview, Mark shares a few personal updates, including his recent appearance on The Creative Penn and The Indy Author Podcasts, the weekday Draft2Digital Spotlights he has been participating in, and a forthcoming online course he will be teaching in a series from Jane Friedman. Links of Interest: Roland Denzel's Indestructable Author Website Episode 127 - Blaze Ward Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Online Course (via Jane Friedman) - Creating Income and Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction The Creative Penn Podcast - Mark's Appearances Episode 482 Episode 408 Episode 300 Episode 262 Episode 178 Episode 143 The Indy Author Podcast - Mark's Appearances Episode 20 Episode 14 Roland Denzel is a coach, a nutritionist, and a restorative exercise specialist who also happens to be a writer. He has fought off carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar neuropathy, and plantar fasciitis, all while "keeping his butt in the chair" long enough to work a full-time job and release more than ten books. He coaches authors and other awesome humans about ergonomics, healthy lifestyle, balance, and overcoming physical and mental limitations to be healthier, happier, and more productive. 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 has an in depth conversation with author Blaze Ward. Blaze Ward writes science fiction in multiple universes. He also writes odd bits of high fantasy with swords and orcs. In addition, he is the Editor and Publisher of Boundary Shock Quarterly Magazine and many other magazines and publishing projects. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes. He also announced the winner of the book and workbook for THREE STORY METHOD from J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon from a random selection of commenters from Episode 123. In addition, the Patreon winner is also announced. In their conversation Mark and Blaze discuss: When Blaze started to kick into full production schedule for his writing Writing 400,000 words a year while he was employed and working full time, and how he ramped it up to 100,000 words a month, which he has consistently reached for the past two years The daily/weekly schedule that Blaze keeps in order to write 4000 words a day Monday through Saturday The plan for Blaze to write 14 novels and 40 stories in 2020 Mal Cooper, who wrote 40 novels in 2018, and makes Blaze look like a slacker The thrill of "getting to go write" when Blaze wakes up in the morning P Time and L Time (Personal Time and Linear Time) The plans for ensuring that his heirs will continue to benefit from the works that Blaze has written The various different novels in different series' that Blaze has written and is working on Why Blaze isn't playing the "exclusive to Kindle" game in publishing and has chosen to go wide Selling short stories that are not available anywhere else directly on his website How Blaze is using Patron (to provide his $5/month patrons content a full year before it is available to anyone else) Boundary Shock quarterly magazine, which Blaze edits, including the inspiration for creating it and the logisitics of filling each issue of that magazine and others with content using a syndicate of fifteen other writers The different newsletters that Blaze sends out Some of the financial changes that Blaze and his wife Leah (also an author), have recently made regarding translations and travel to writer conferences And more... After the conversation, Mark reflects on comparisonitis and discipline. This episode was sponsored by the wonderful patrons of the Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing Podcast who support this show and gain access to additional content over at www.patreon.com/starkreflections. Links of Interest: Blaze Ward's Website Episode 126 - Thanks for the Laughs and Inspiration Episode 125 - Simplifying, Streamlining and Organizing with Janice Savage Episode 123 - Three Story Method with J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon Patreon for Stark Reflections 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

Thanks for the Inspiration is a type of show that appears from time to time in the regular schedule for this podcast. As writers, we often absorb elements from the world, the places, and the people around us. We observe, we ask questions, we speculative, we listen, we watch, we feel, and we write so much of that down which gets re-integrated, like some sort of sausage creation, into the stories and words and worlds we share with our readers. Thanks for the Inspiration episodes are an attempt to acknowledge and say thanks to the people, places, and things that have helped to either feed the muse, or perhaps just to feed the very soul and makeup of the writer behind that writing. In this bonus episode of the podcast, Mark thanks the creative spirits who have produced musical parodies about Covid-19 and the current global situation. Because laughter is important. Yes, these are dark times, but laughter is important. It connects people. And laughter has been shown to actually stimulate positive activity in a person's immune system. I know we're all scared, we're uncertain, we aren't sure what's coming, for us, and for those we know and love. Things seem to be spinning out of control. But we can always control where we focus and how we respond. I choose love, compassion, and humor. And I choose to thank all of these amazing creative people who took the time to spread their own passion, through humor, to help others find smiles and laughs in these trying times. Mark introduces the following musical parodies in this order: Covid-19 - The Taylor's - Parody of "Come On, Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners. JJ Mason Taylor (The Taylor Family) YouTube Video My Corona - Parody of "My Sharona by The Knack Kevin Brandow Lyrics by Chelsea Brandow YouTube Video Quarantine - Parody of "Let It Be" by The Beatles Joe Cron YouTube Video Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (with new lyrics!) Parody of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke from the movie Mary Poppins Daniel Matarazzo You Tube Video One Week of COVID 19 - Parody of "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies Pepper Coyote Adapted original lyrics by @daniAwesome YouTube Video My Corona Home - Parody of "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys from the movie Cocktail Jon Pumper YouTube Video Coronavirus Rhapsody - Parody of "Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen Adrian Grimes Lyrics by Dana Jay Bein YouTube Video Mark then closes out the show with a thanks to all of the first responders and medical and health professionals on the front lines as well as essential services personnel who continue to risk their own safety and welfare for the good of society. And he again thanks the creative folks who wrote, performed, and shared these songs (and so many others not included here) to help inspire smiles and laughter in others during these trying times. This episode was sponsored by the wonderful patrons of the Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing Podcast who support this show and gain access to additional content over at www.patreon.com/starkreflections. 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 Janice Savage, Savvy Concierge about strategies that enable work-life balance which translates into more personal time and less stress. Prior to the interview, Mark reads a word from this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices... You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. He then reads comments from recent episodes, reminding listeners they still have a chance to win a copy of THREE STORY METHOD and the accompanying workbook from J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon by commenting on Episode 123 before the end of March 2020. He also shares a brief personal update that includes the adaptation of the Career Author Summit in Nashville in May (where Mark is a featured speaker) to a virtual event, as well as being a guest on the Rebel Author Podcast with Sacha Black. In their conversation, Mark and Janice talk about: How Janice loves being in a position to do something to help other people, which organically grew into her business How Janice pays attention and listens to both what people say, as well as the things that people don't say, as part of her process of helping them The value of being invited into the personal workspace of the people that Janice works with The importance of, before looking at someone's space, you take a look at their values What "clutter" does to us (makes us stressed, takes away our focus) - space, mind, physical clutter How having clutter in our minds and physically, it takes away from the creative process Examining a workspace for all of the things that can cause distraction The importance of making a specific system that works for you, your preferences, your goals, your work space How routine and the right habits build success The complimentary consult that Janice offers her potential clients How small changes can make a huge impact The importance of having an accountability partner The value of SNAP (The "Sunday Night Plan") - which is a written-down plan for the forthcoming week Ideas for managing an email inbox without getting stressed or overwhelmed And more . . . After the interview, Mark reflects on the importance of building up solid habits or an impactful routine. Links of Interest: Janice's Website - Savvy Concierge Findaway Voices Library Promotion Opportunity (Expires after March 29, 2020) Episode 123 - Three Story Method with J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon Episode 124 - Lindsay Flanagan on Working with an Editor The Rebel Author Podcast - Episode 21 - How to Get Your Book Into Libraries Patreon for Stark Reflections Janice Savage, founder of Savvy Concierge, is a Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Manager. She alleviates the stress and that feeling of being overwhelmed that her busy clientele experience. Janice has taken the strategies and tips she developed first by raising four kids and then by working one-on-one with her clientele to introduce Savvy Principles to Simplify Your Life. She has recently segued into speaking opportunities, educational presentations and conducting workshops where she shares her expertise with larger audiences. By empowering the audience to attain their goals through an organized and decluttered personal and professional life she is spreading her message – Simplify Your Life. The 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