Mark Leslie Lefebvre's Blog, page 8

Episode 365 – An Interview That’s A Hug With Gail Carriger

Mark interviews Gail Carriger about her writing life, her journey through publishing, analytics, the careful curation of her author brand, being a hybrid author and so much more.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise.

In the interview Mark and Gail talk about:- How honored Mark is to learn that Gail listens to the Stark Reflections Podcast

Gail’s branding phrase of “Gail Carriger writes books that are hugs” and the various experiments she’s done with that over the yearsAlways being a person who wrote, or had a passion for writingReading The Lord of the Rings as a child and deciding to craft her OWN ending for the storyGrowing up in a “commune” environment with a bunch of poetsGail’s career as an academic when her first traditionally published book (Soulless) came out and took offThe challenge/dare to herself of wanting to write a genre-blending/cross-genre tale of something that she would enjoy as a readerNegotiations taking a long time because Gail dug in her heels on specific contract clausesHer agent investigating a back-door deal with another publisher who offered her 3X the deal the first was looking at and was willing to adjust the right of first refusal clauseThe vision that the publishers had that Soulless was the beginning of a series (despite Gail believing, when she first wrote it, that it was a stand-alone)Having a two-book contract and then writing a cliffhanger at the end of the 2nd book in order to grease the wheels of a contract for other booksGail’s love-affair with spreadsheets and the fact she reads all 56 pages of her royalty reportsOne of the main reasons she became an indie author was her ability to have direct access to data about her sales and her readersGail’s cautionary note to authors that with a “right of first refusal” a publisher is allowed to take their time with that offer, which can significantly delay an author’s forward-movement plansThe possible “rights grab” that a publisher might do even if it’s not something within their regular publishing plansHow growing up Gen-X and being a non-native to computers and the internet has resulted in an abundance of caution about digital, computers, the world wide web, how she is presented on the internet, etc.Gail’s recommendation to test the waters in self-publishing with short stories firstNerding out with Mark about the “old days” of self-publishing and podcastingBeing a social scientist by training and loving analytics and spreadsheetsPinging her rabid fan base and testing things all the timeGail’s A/B testing on whether it’s better to put a newsletter signup link at the front of a book or the end of the book, or bothEnsuring that her author brand is not diluted with author business stuff that she’s known for from other authors and industry insidersTalking to her readers constantly to continue to stay in the loop on insightsThe importance, when communicating to your readers to use the same language that they’re used toLearning that her readers tend to not have a distinction between libraries and bookstores – that many of them see them under the same umbrella of a place they go to see what books are on displayConfirming the reports that “word of mouth” is, by a landslide, the way that most readers find out about new books and new authors to readThe value of a recommendation from another author in a newsletter or on social mediaThe challenges of book blurbsA podcast that Gail recommends: Reading Glasses – and that authors should subscribe and listen to it in order to understand the language that readers useThe deliberate curation and creation of the Gail Carriger persona, including her love of wearing retro outfitsThe side benefit of being able to be a fan at conventions, etc when “out of uniform” and how she’s rarely recognized when not sporting that specific “look”A little bit about Gail’s book THE HEROINE’S JOURNEYThe next book for writers that Gail is working on called GOING HYBRID, structured to help established and existing traditionally published authors to learn the indie publishing landscapeAnd more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on several different topics that came up in the conversation, including contract clauses, being incognito, and Gail’s suggesting for testing the self-publishing waters.

Links of Interest:

Gail Carriger WebsiteScribeCount (Mark’s Affiliate Link)DropCap MarketplaceUse coupon STARK20 to get 20% offCruising WritersBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsHow to Access Patreon RSS FeedsAn Author’s Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed AuthorBuy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook DirectPublishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover’s MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the BuildingThe Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

Gail Carriger writes books that are hugs, mostly comedies of manners mixed with steampunk, urban fantasy, and sci-fi (plus cozy queer joy as G. L. Carriger). These include the Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol, Tinkered Stars, and San Andreas Shifter series for adults, and the Finishing School and Tinkered Starsong series for young adults. Also nonfiction: The Heroine’s Journey. She is published in many languages, has over a million books in print, over a dozen New York Times and USA Today bestsellers, and starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Kirkus, and Romantic Times.

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

Episode 364 – 40 Years of Rubes® Cartoons with Leigh Rubin

Mark interviews Leigh Rubin about 40 years of his Rubes® cartoons and his latest book THINK LIKE A CARTOONIST.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise.

In the interview Mark and Leigh talk about:

The fact that in 2024 Leigh is celebrating 40 years of producing Rubes® cartoonsSome of the things that have changed since Leigh first started writing the cartoons – such as the way he delivers the daily cartoonsThe tools that haven’t changed over the years, such as the drawing instruments he usesHow far in advance the daily cartoons need to be sent in for syndicationThe fact that Leigh rarely ever takes a day off from drawing something new for the cartoonLeigh’s book THINK LIKE A CARTOONIST and the story behind itThe various types of essays that appear in this bookLeigh’s Cartoonist Pledge (inspired by the Boy Scout pledge)The ease of sharing cartoons on social media without any compensation given to the artistWhat a “workaround” is for cartooningThe challenges of when humor doesn’t age well because of changing sensitivitiesTesting the cartoons and deciding not to use certain ones that don’t hit just right – (and the big stack of un-used cartoons that Leigh never submitted because they weren’t funny enough)And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of what Leigh calls a “workaround” and how a similar thing might apply to writers in general as well as the idea of testing cartoons and not publishing them unless the hit right.

Links of Interest:

Leigh Rubins Website / Rubes CartoonsThink Like a Cartoonist (RIT Press Website)Leigh Rubin Author Photo Credit: Sue WeislerEP 152 – Drawing Inspiration with Cartoonist Leigh RubinDramatic Exit (YouTube Short Inspired by one of Leigh’s cartoons)EP 316 – Free Your Inner Non-Fiction Writer with Johanna RothmanScribeCount (Mark’s Affiliate Link)DropCap MarketplaceUse coupon STARK20 to get 20% offCruising WritersBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsHow to Access Patreon RSS FeedsAn Author’s Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed AuthorBuy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook DirectPublishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover’s MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the BuildingThe Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

Leigh Rubin is an accomplished author and cartoonist. He has written more than 20 books. 2024 will mark the 40th anniversary of Leigh’s internationally syndicated cartoon, Rubes®, which is distributed by Creators Syndicate to hundreds of newspapers and media outlets worldwide.

His work has been featured in film, television, and advertising. Leigh also enjoys a busy schedule giving thought-provoking and entertaining presentations on art and creativity at conferences, as well as professional organizations all around the country.

In 2018 Leigh began serving at Rochester Institute of Technology as the college’s first Cartoonist-in-Residence.

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

Episode 363 – Greatness Recognized with Sarah McVanel

Mark interviews Sarah McVanel, a recognition expert, professional speaker, coach, author, recovering perfectionist, and movement maker about her books, speaking, and her the new podcast she co-hosts with her daughter.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise.

In the interview Mark and Sarah talk about:

What Sarah has been up to since Mark last had her on the podcastHow Sarah is an expert-based author rather than a “traditional” authorThe difference between writing for a keynote as a speaker and writing a bookThe various books that Sarah has previously written and how she went about putting them together, including FLIPSIDE OF FAILINGThe research and legwork done in order to send hand-signed copies and hand-written notes to medical/health-care leaders for Sarah’s book ROCKSTAR: Magnify Your Greatness in Times of Change for Healthcare LeadersProviding space in the back of a specially printed edition of her book ROCKSTAR: Magnify Your Greatness in Times of Change for Women Leaders for conference organizers to put their own messaging inThe needless bloating in some non-fiction books; something which Sarah strives to not doSatisfaction that’s felt when you finish reading a bookHow companies, publishers, and authors often bundle products together and how it might affect the readerHow we earn the right to be read as authorsParticipating in physical bundles with other speakers as part of a conferenceThe way the most special readers deserve something specialThe new podcast (The Greatness Together Podcast) that Sarah has started with her daughter and which runs every other weekVarious topics related to the human dimension that mother and daughter Sarah and Simonne talk throughAnd more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on Sarah’s perspective on the author needing to ensure that they deliver on their promise and that after earning the reader’s attention, they need to keep it by delivering on that promise in the content. He also reflects on the incredible value Sarah brings as a greatness recognition expert.

Links of Interest:

Sarah’s WebsiteThe Greatness Together PodcastEP 76 – Recognizing Success in Failure with Sarah McVanelEP 109 – 12 Takeaways From CAPS Convention 2019EP 361 – The Author Wheel with Greta Boris and Megan HaskellScribeCount (Mark’s Affiliate Link)DropCap MarketplaceUse coupon STARK20 to get 20% offCruising WritersBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsHow to Access Patreon RSS FeedsAn Author’s Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed AuthorBuy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook DirectPublishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover’s MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the BuildingThe Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

Sarah McVanel is a recognition expert, professional speaker, coach, author, recovering perfectionist, and movement maker. She created F.R.O.G. Forever Recognize Others’ GreatnessTM to invigorate companies so they can see their people as exceptional and, together, create a scrumptious, thriving culture where everyone belongs.

Sarah has 25+ years of experience training, coaching, and leading teams. From her senior leadership role, she founded her boutique firm Greatness Magnified. Proclaimed as the “Frog Lady,” she can be found freaking out perfect strangers (in a good way) by handing out squishy frogs and asking them, “Have you been frogged lately?” and then acknowledging their greatness.

She’s a Certified Senior Organizational Development Professional (CSODP), Professional Certified Coach (PCC), and Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL). She is one of 700 Certified Speaking Professionals (CSP) worldwide. She has a BA in Psychology, MSc in Family Relations, and Diplomas in Human Resources and Healthcare Administration.

You can catch her kayaking in the summer and snowshoeing in the winter with her husband, or cooking a feast (while listening to an audiobook on double speed). She’s a die-hard carb-ivour, amateur hip hopper, and TikTok embarrasser to her two kids.

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

Episode 362 – The Book To Read Before Giving Up On Your Writing Dreams with Todd Fahnestock

Mark interviews author Todd Fahnestock about his latest book for writers: Falling to Fly: The Book To Read Before Giving Up On Your Writing Dreams.

This episode is sponsored by the Patrons and Coffee Buddies of the Stark Reflections Podcast.

Patreon for Stark Reflections Podcast

Buy Mark a Coffee

In the interview Mark and Todd talk about:

Who Todd is and the edge of the seat epic fantasy he writesA little bit about Todd’s memoir of hiking the Colorado Trail with his 15-year-old sonThe pitch for Summer of the Fetch, one of his one-off booksTodd’s latest book FALLING TO FLY: The Book to Read Before Giving Up on Your Writing DreamsHow the book includes several completely frank episodes where Todd fell flat on his face and failed, and yet picked himself up one more timeThe idea of failure being the classroom and success being the diplomaBeing bored with a story where there’s no challenge, or struggle, or flaws in the main characterHow fantasy books saved Todd’s life when he was young and the fact he wanted to do the same thing for someone elseThe “writer dream” interviews that Todd is doing on social mediaThe chapter called “The Little Rebel” and what that particular voice does for ToddThe nightmare that inspired the idea for the title FALLING TO FLYAnd more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on how great a storyteller Todd is, how much he enjoyed Todd’s latest book, and the value when someone paints an authentic picture of the actual stark realities of the writing life.

Links of Interest:

Todd Fahnestock’s WebsiteEP 340 – Personality, Passion, Presentation, and Persistence with Todd FahnestockScribeCount (Mark’s Affiliate Link)DropCap MarketplaceUse coupon STARK20 to get 20% offCruising WritersBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsHow to Access Patreon RSS FeedsAn Author’s Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed AuthorBuy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook DirectPublishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover’s MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the BuildingThe Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

Todd Fahnestock is an award-winning, #1 bestselling author of fantasy for all ages and winner of the New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age Award. Threadweavers and The Whisper Prince Trilogy are two of his bestselling epic fantasy series. He is a founder of Eldros Legacy—a multi-author, shared-world mega-epic fantasy series—three-time winner of the Colorado Authors League Award for Writing Excellence, and two-time finalist for the Colorado Book Award for Tower of the Four: The Champions Academy (2021) and Khyven the Unkillable (2022).

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

Episode 361 – The Author Wheel with Greta Boris & Megan Haskell

Mark interviews Greta Boris and Megan Haskell of The Author Wheel.

Prior to the interview Mark shares a brief personal update and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, and a word about this episode’s sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by ScribeCount (affiliate link). Spend less time logging in to multiple platforms and crunching numbers, and more time writing and marketing your books thanks to ScribeCount’s handy all-in-one interface.

In the interview Mark, Greta, and Megan talk about:

How Megan started writing as a creative outlet when she was working for a major accounting firmThe writing done on the train on the way in to work in Los Angeles and the blogs she had writtenContinuing writing after having her daughter in 2012 and then publishing her first book before her second child was bornGreta’s magazine background (her father was an editor and publisher of some major magazines back in the day)The writing she did for a number of magazines over the years and the various genres and topics she took onBeing inspired by interviewing a bunch of fiction authors, including Joanna PennHow Greta got her first publisher doing a Twitter pitchTwitter pitches being really good for writing log linesMegan and Greta’s “meet cute” at the Southern California Writer’s Conference in 2014Pitching a course to that conference at a later date so they could attend it again without having to pay which got turned into a book (Publish: Take Charge of Your Author Career)How they started The Author Wheel courses, podcast, and other resourcesThe metaphors for The Author WheelThe way they try to break topics down into the smallest bits possible to simplify peopleWhy it’s helpful to recognize that authors are all at different places and there are so many different paths and choices an author can makeTheir course Trope Stacking and Other Genre Magic which is a companion to a quick-guide Understanding Your GenreGreta’s pioneering with writing a book she felt was a “Cozy Horror” novelStrategies for mixing and layering in genres that are complimentary to one another while creating something uniqueHow writing to an outline made Megan feel like her creativity was being stifledThe way that Megan and Greta collaborate in their writing, the podcast, the social media, and the coursesAnd more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of the “Twitter pitch” and the benefit of having to craft writing that has tight restrictions as well as the importance of understanding that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and that there’s no single right way for authors to do things.

Links of Interest:

The Author WheelPodcastCourses:7 Days To ClaritySelf Publish or Get an AgentFinish Your Novel FasterLayering Your Story WorldTrope Stacking and Other Genre MagicMegan Haskell’s WebsiteGreta Boris’s WebsiteMark’s Interview on The Author Wheel Podcast: Overcoming Self-Doubt and Mastering Book Marketing with Mark Leslie LefebvreScribeCount (Mark’s Affiliate Link)DropCap MarketplaceUse coupon STARK20 to get 20% offCruising WritersBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsHow to Access Patreon RSS FeedsAn Author’s Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed AuthorBuy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook DirectPublishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover’s MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the BuildingThe Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

Greta Boris is a USA Today Bestselling mystery and thriller author. Megan Haskell is an award-winning fantasy adventure author. Together, they founded The Author Wheel, publishers of books, courses, and a podcast to help writers overcome roadblocks and keep their stories rolling.

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

Episode 360 – Foreign Rights Licensing with Roseanne Cheng of DropCap

Mark interviews Roseanne Cheng, an award-winning author, ghostwriter, and book marketer who is passionate about educating authors and publishers about the power and opportunity of having their books elevated to the international market.

They talk about her writing life, her author mentoring life, and about how DropCap Marketplace is a great bridge between indie authors and the licensing foreign language rights through traditional agencies and book scouts.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, comments from recent episodes, and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise.

In their interview Mark and Roseanne talk about:

Roseanne’s background and passion for helping writersThe first book Roseanne published (The Take Back of Lincoln Junior High) back in 2013 when she was teaching full-time and how it will always have a special place in her heartWorking with Wise Ink Creative Publishing and the great respect that Roseanne has for the women who run that businessThe various lessons learned with writing and publishing a book and how you can turn the things that you learned (via various mistakes you’ve made) into positives by helping others on their own journeysTaking on the role of Marketing Director at Wise Ink by leveraging her own experiences to help shepherd other writers through the process of releasing a new bookWorking with authors to create their own custom marketing plans based on their goalsMeeting and connecting with a dear friend, Josie, and teaching one another things they were each good atCreating an online school with Josie called Evergreen Authors in about 2019How the pandemic ended up helping these courses and various other online teaching and Roseanne’s ghostwriting business to really take offThe genesis of her first book, The Take Back of Lincoln Junior HighReading the novel after taking a long break (focusing on the endless work and much sleeplessness of raising small children) and recognizing that it was really goodHow Roseanne’s role as a teacher helped prepare her for the work she does in helping authorsThe co-authored book BUZZ: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BOOK MARKETINGRoseanne’s books THE EVERYGREEN AUTHOR: MASTER THE ART OF BOOK MARKETING and PORTABLE MAGICThe importance of asking your readers: “Where do you buy books?”The WIDE FOR THE WIN message of being in as many places as possibly and opening as many doors as possible and how it really resonated with RoseanneGetting involved in the “Rights” side of publishing and the entire distribution network that she had not yet been tapped intoA story about the first time Roseanne received an email from a foreign publisher who reached out because they were interested in the foreign language rights to her workThe creation of DropCap Marketplace as a match-making service between indie authors/small publishers and agents and book scoutsThe various other marketing resources available for authors on the DropCap siteHow DropCap marries technology with relationship resources within the industryThe special coupon code for Stark Reflections listeners. STARK20 – to get 20% off the listing at DropCap marketplaceAnd more . . .

After the interview, Mark reflections on Roseanne’s passion for helping writers and the importance for indie authors of recognizing where they can DIY and where they might be better off leveraging experts in a particular area of publishing.

Links of Interest:

Roseanne Cheng’s WebsiteRoseanne’s BooksEvergreen Authors WebsiteDropCap MarketplaceUse coupon STARK20 to get 20% offCruising WritersStark Publishing Support for Authors Via Margins AgencyScribeCount (Mark’s Affiliate Link)Mark’s YouTube ChannelBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsHow to Access Patreon RSS FeedsAn Author’s Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed AuthorBuy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook DirectPublishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover’s MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the BuildingThe Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

Roseanne Cheng is an award-winning author, ghostwriter, book marketer, and Director of Business Development DropCap Rights Agency. A lifelong reader and writer, she began her work in book publishing as a Marketing Director for an indie publishing house based in Minneapolis and eventually co-founded Evergreen Authors, an online school teaching authors the business of writing and marketing their creative work. In her current role with DropCap, she has the unique pleasure of matching global rights buyers with titles that have the potential to positively impact their communities. She is passionate about educating authors and publishers about the power and opportunity of having their books elevated to the international market.

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

Episode 359 – Capturing the Flow with Aaron Palmer

Mark interviews author, songwriter, musician, and podcaster Aaron Palmer.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares an extended personal update, comments from recent episodes, and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise.

In their interview Mark and Aaron talk about:

Aaron being tested at an early age and it being determined that he had perfect pitchPicking up a guitar for the first time around 6th gradeThe first big concert he saw when he was in 5th grade was Van Halen – and he was convinced he wanted to do thatA time in life when ambitions outweighed abilitiesHow playing the guitar came pretty naturally to AaronBeing a pretty avid reader when he was growing up, consuming almost anything he could get his hands onThe writing of Michael Crichton and the very cinematic way he had of writing proseBeing in college and having a professor suggest he change his major to EnglishBeginning to write short fiction shortly after thatAaron’s podcast Native Tongues and the theme for the showDealing with ADHD and also regularly multi-taskingHow Aaron works through writing down log lines and concepts that are streaming through his mind to return to later to flesh outFinding out that Dave Grohl does something similarThe initial concept of the podcast first coming out about five years ago, then beginning to develop the ideas for it in about August of 203 for a January 2024 launchStarting off with a concept or idea and then later fleshing out the characters and character developmentThe idea of spending more time developing characters once you fully understand the world that they’re inReaching to the darker, more speculative or fantastical elements in storytelling out of a relatively mundane, safe, and normal existenceNot taking himself very seriously as a writer or creative personGravitating toward 12-year-old Bacoo rumLoving live music in multiple venues and formsHow Aaron’s podcast is helping to tie multiple creative aspects togetherAnd more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on capturing the endless flow of ideas that can come to a creative person and the value of putting a creative work out into the world instead of just holding onto it.

Links of Interest:

Native Tongues PodcastApplePodbeanSpotifyNative Tongues InstagramEP 358 – The Way of the Parable Writer with Donn KingEP 353 – Tao Wong on the Toronto Indie Author ConferenceEP 349 – Edward Willett of Shadowpaw PressCruising WritersStark Publishing Support for Authors Via Margins AgencyScribeCount (Mark’s Affiliate Link)Mark’s YouTube ChannelBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsHow to Access Patreon RSS FeedsAn Author’s Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed AuthorBuy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook DirectPublishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover’s MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the BuildingThe Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

Aaron Palmer has been described as this generation’s Ernest Hemingway. Not because he can write majestic prose, but because he equally loves to drink lots of rum. Aaron enjoys writing screenplays in the horror and thriller genres in which he has an encyclopedic knowledge of. He hosts the podcast Native Tongues, where he talks to writers and musicians about where they came from and how that influenced their voice. He also plays guitar, is into fitness, travel and loves to read. Oh, and he’s got a wife and kids he likes.

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

Episode 358 – The Way of the Parable Writer with Donn King

Mark interviews professor, pastor, speaker, and author Donn King about writing, his podcast, and his books THE WAY OF THE THREE-YEAR-OLD WHY and MEDIUM WELL.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, comments from recent episodes, and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise.

In their interview Mark and Donn talk about:

Donn’s gradual evolution into becoming a writer with starting work at a newspaper when he was 14 years oldAn experience in sixth grade discovering science fiction novels in the library and realizing reading could be fun when you weren’t being forced to do itThe first sci-fi novel Donn remembers reading: Robert A. Heinlein’s HAVE SPACESUIT WILL TRAVELDonn’s first foray into writing short fiction in a 3-ring binder with a pencilLearning about his non-fiction writing from Bob Burg, co-author of THE GO-GIVER a bestselling business parable bookHow elements from writing good fiction apply when writing a parableDrawing upon autobiographical elements even when fictionalizing a parableThe difference between Writer’s Block and The Well Going DryDonn’s podcast, The Alignment ShowThe Great Realignment and pausing to step back and consider what really brings value to youDonn’s book MEDIUM WELL: The Journey From Believing to Believing InThe beautifully inquisitive nature of 3-Year-Olds in Donn’s THE WAY OF THE THREE-YEAR-OLD WHYPrincipal Five – Without emotion, there is no motionThe challenges of booking live speaking events when caring for family members who require that additional compassion and careThe reality that none of us have any certainty – we merely live with the illusion of certaintyThe concept of connection before contentAnd more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on a few of the topics that came up in their conversation.

Links of Interest:

Donn King’s WebsiteDonn King’s BooksThe Confidence Cultivators PodcastMark’s Guest Spot on Episode 54YouTube Video of Episode 54EP 357 – 50 Years of Short Stories with Kevin J. AndersonKevin’s Short Story KickstarterEP 356 – The Midlist Indie Author Mindset with T. Thorn CoyleThorn’s Patreon SiteWriters of the Future – Blog Post Announcing Mark as a JudgeStark Publishing Support for Authors Via Margins AgencyScribeCount (Mark’s Affiliate Link)Mark’s YouTube ChannelBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsHow to Access Patreon RSS FeedsAn Author’s Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed AuthorBuy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook DirectPublishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover’s MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the BuildingThe Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

Donn King is “The Confidence Cultivator,” a professor, pastor, speaker, and author who lives in the mountains of East Tennessee. He also hosts “The Alignment Show,” a podcast to support listeners in living their values so they can value their life. His book, “The Way of the Three-Year-Old Why,” the first in the Sparklight Chronicles, came out in 2023, with “Medium Well,” the second in the series, came out in early 2024

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

Episode 357 – 50 Years of Short Stories with Kevin J. Anderson

In this episode, Mark interviews Kevin J. Anderson about his writing and the new approach he is taking to incorporate Kickstarter into the launch strategies for some of his indie-published titles.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, comments from recent episodes, and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise.

In their interview Mark and Kevin talk about:

How Kickstarter has completely upended (in a good way), Kevin’s book release strategiesKevin’s first novel coming out in 1988 and all the various publishers he has worked with over the yearsThe “Perfect Storm” that was brewing in the book industry when indie publishing became a realistic and viable optionStarting to publish his own books (mostly backlist titles he got the rights back to) in 2009 after founding WordFire Press with his wife Rebecca MoestaKevin’s belief that this is the best time to be a writerHow Kevin does a little bit of everything. He has a New York literary agent, he works with several major publishers, he indie publishes, and he continues to explore new opportunities that digital publishing offerThe way that Kickstarter didn’t just open a new door, it completely blew it down, along with a few walls tooDean Wesley Smith’s perspective that helped to change Kevin’s mind about what Kickstarter was all aboutKevin’s “Adams Family meets The Naked Gun” series of Dan Shamble Zombie PI novels, and the history of how it started off as a series with a major publisher, flopped, then Kevin got the rights back and did something truly stunning with it once he applied KickstarterKevin’s first Dan Shamble Kickstarter which brought in 23 times the intial amount he was asking for, and that it paid him more than 6 times the advance he’d rec’d from a major publisher for the last Dan Shamble book he’d done with themThe Dragon Business (The Princess Bride meets Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) Kickstarter that brought in 20 times what he’d been asking forThe Persephone Kickstarter that Kevin did with Writer/Director Jeffrey MorrisKevin’s latest Kickstarter which is a 7 Volume Set of over 130 of his published short stories published over 50 yearsWriting his first short story when he was 8 years oldPublishing his very first short story when he was 14The personal introductions that he wrote for every one of the stories in this 7 book collectionThe various levels and Kickstarter rewards he is planning for this KickstarterThe remarkable fact that, despite having published 180 novels with 58 of them being international bestsellers, no publisher would ever even consider publishing a 7 volume hardcover set of Kevin’s complete short stories. That he can do this via Kickstarter is a significant paradigm shiftHow Kickstarter can replace the old “advance” model from traditional publishingThe special thing Kevin is doing for all the backers of this latest KickstarterThe Kickstarter will be going live on April 30th for 3 weeks and 2 daysAnd more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on Kevin’s use of short, effective and very clear log lines to describe two of his series.

Links of Interest:

Kevin J. Anderson’s WebsiteKevin’s Short Story KickstarterEP 130 – Grace Under Pressure with Kevin J. AndersonMentions of Kevin in other podcast episodesEP 356 – The Midlist Indie Author Mindset with T. Thorn CoyleThorn’s Patreon SiteEP 355 – Scribbling Pen Publishing with Melanie Gilbert and Heather KarnWriters of the Future – Blog Post Announcing Mark as a JudgeStark Publishing Support for Authors Via Margins AgencyScribeCount (Mark’s Affiliate Link)Mark’s YouTube ChannelBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsHow to Access Patreon RSS FeedsAn Author’s Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed AuthorBuy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook DirectPublishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover’s MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the BuildingThe Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

Kevin J. Anderson has published more than 180 books, 58 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 the unique Clockwork Angels steampunk trilogy with legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart. His original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series, the Wake the Dragon and Terra Incognita fantasy trilogies, and humorous Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series and The Dragon Business series.

He has edited numerous anthologies, written comics and games, and the lyrics to two rock CDs. Anderson is the director of the graduate program in Publishing at Western Colorado University, and he and his wife Rebecca Moesta are the publishers or WordFire Press.

He worked on the recent films Dune Part One and Part Two from Legendary Entertainment, as well as the forthcoming Dune TV series from MAX, and other films in development, including Persephone and Karousel.

He has 24 million copies in print in 34 languages. His most recent novels are Bats in the Belfry, Skeleton in the Closet, Persephone, and Princess of Dune (with Brian Herbert).

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

Episode 356 – The Midlist Indie Author Mindset with T. Thorn Coyle

Mark interviews T Thorn Coyle about writing, community, and their new book The Midlist Indie Author Mindset.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

Cruising Writers – 7 Day Western Caribbean Cruise – Feb 22 to Mar 1, 2025

Featured Guest Speakers: Erin Wright and Mark Leslie Lefebvre

More details at: Cruising Writers

In the interview, Mark and Thorn talk about:

Getting into writing when they were 5 years old – and the variety of types of writing they didThorn jokingly torturing fiction and deciding to write non-fiction until a few characters showed up and knocked on their doorWriting mostly fantasy-tinged fictionHow most of Thorn’s non-fiction guides have been about spiritual practice, but that this latest one is their first non-fiction business of writing bookThorn’s author tagline: “Magic is real. And justice is worth fighting for.”The way that Portland is such a fascinating city and how Thorn can find magic anywhereAn appreciation of Charles de LintThorn’s forthcoming book: The Midlist Author MindsetThe massive mindset shift that comes from being curious about business the way one is curious about writingValue that came with learning what worked for Thorn, as opposed to things that work for other writersThe numerous streams of income that Thorn has been developing over the yearsLooking at long-term sustainability by thinking of it like cultivating a garden instead of seeking out short-term dramatic spikesSome of the roadblocks that Thorn encountered on the way to establishing the Midlist Author MindsetUnderstanding that for Thorn marketing was about connection with readersHow asking “Does social media sell books?” is the wrong question to askThe Kickstarter for the book and related materials and exclusive content that runs April 16, 2024 to May 7, 2024A little bit about Thorn’s fiction series booksThoughts and current approach to audiobooksThorn’s final words of advice that they would want to leave with writersAnd more . . .

After the interview, Mark reflects on the concepts of sustainable, long-term, and burn-out as well as the important question of what is practical for you and your life and goals.

Links of Interest:

T. Thorn Coyle’s WebsiteKickstarter for The Midlist Indie Author MindsetFiction TitlesNon-Fiction TitlesThorn’s Patreon SiteWriters of the Future – Blog Post Announcing Mark as a JudgeStark Publishing Support for Authors Via Margins AgencyScribeCount (Mark’s Affiliate Link)Mark’s YouTube ChannelBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsHow to Access Patreon RSS FeedsAn Author’s Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed AuthorBuy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook DirectPublishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover’s MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the BuildingThe Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

T. Thorn Coyle worked in many strange and diverse occupations before settling in to write full time. Buy them a cup of tea and perhaps they’ll tell you about it.

Author of The Witches of Portland, the Seashell Cove Paranormal Cozy Mysteries, the Pride Street Paranormal Cozy Mysteries, The Steel Clan Saga, and The Panther Chronicles, Thorn’s multiple non-fiction books include Sigil Magic for Writers, Artists & Other Creatives, Crafting a Daily Practice, Kissing the Limitless, and Evolutionary Witchcraft. Thorn’s work also appears in many anthologies, magazines, and collections.

An interloper to the Pacific Northwest U.S., they pay proper tribute to all the neighborhood cats, and talk to crows, squirrels, and trees.

You can find them at thorncoyle.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