Florida Writer Podcast

Michael J. Polelle is the author of The Mithras Conspiracy (M.J. Polelle: Lido Press: 2019), a history-based novel in the mystery category popularized by Dan Brown. This debut novel was a 2020 finalist in the Royal Palm Literary Awards and the Eric Hoffer Book Awards. It also received this year an Honor Medallion from IndieBRAG, LLC.

www.mjpolelle.com

When Louis K. Lowy sits down to write, he doesn't select a genre, it selects him. A former firefighter, he is the recipient of the Florida Individual Artist Award and his most recent novel The Second Life of Eddie Coyne won the President's Book Award Winner for the Florida Author's and Publisher's Association. For more information about Louis, visit LouisKLowy.com.

Accomplished author Jenna Mather has achieved more during high school than most writers dream about. Having already completed two novels; won several achievement awards including the prestigious Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Award for her short story "Fluorescent Freedom"; and been published in magazines and journals, Jenna offers advice about plot outlining, the value of backing up your work (thanks to her feisty feline), and how writing what you don't already know helps you discover more about empathy and the people around you. JennaMather.com

Michael Jordan's debut novel, The Company of Demons, was awarded Silver in the 2019 Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Competition, published thriller/suspense category, the Gold Medal in the 2018 Florida Book Awards Popular Fiction category, and was the winner of the National Indie Excellence Awards in Crime Fiction. In 2020, he was awarded the Gold in the Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Competition, unpublished thriller/suspense category, for his WWII thriller, A Desperate Race.

In addition to writing, Michael practiced law for many years in Cleveland, Ohio, and has long been selected to Best Lawyers in America and Ohio Super Lawyers. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and from the George Washington University Law School, where he was a member of the Law Review.

What do tap dancing, marching music, and grammar have in common? Found out in this edition of The Florida Writer Podcast with guest Arlene Miller--Grammar Diva and author of 12 books! Arlene writes and publishes grammar books, produces a weekly blog post, provides copyediting, services, and presents grammar talks and workshops. Discover more at bigwords101.com

A 20-year passion project has created a book for spiritual healing for all people. When Paul Wheelhouse began to teach a World Religions course in 2009 at a local community college, he had already begun writing Global Prayers for All People, his first published (self-published) book in 2010. In the spring of 2013, he completed Human Dignity: Faith and Spirit. He has since published the most comprehensive devotional guidebook dedicated to the Holy Land.

Find ways to make your story different. Shutta Crum is the author of several middle-grade novels and many picture books, poems, and magazine articles. THUNDER-BOOMER! was an ALA and a Smithsonian "Notable Book." MINE! was reviewed by the N.Y. Times as "a delightful example of the drama and emotion that a nearly wordless book can convey." Her books have made Bank Street College lists as well as state award lists. WHEN YOU GET HERE, a collection of poems for adults, won a gold medal from the Royal Palm Literary Awards, 2020 (FL). And a second gold medal was awarded for an unpublished manuscript titled: SHORTIES: Short Poems and Their Forms from Around the World. In 2005 she was invited to read at the Easter Egg Roll at the White House. In 2010 she presented to children at the Dept. of Defense schools throughout Japan More info: www.shutta.com.

New writers often struggle with staying on track. Author Geralyn Vilar shares suggest using Scrivener to keep on track, finding the pace you need to make daily progress, and not to worry about the small details in the beginning.

Geralyn Vilar's first novel, One Spring Day was published on March 12, 2020 and is available through Amazon.com. For more information about Geralyn, visit GeralynVilarAuthor.com.

Have your characters ever taken on a life of their own, as if by magic? Romance writer McKenna Dean shares how her characters steal the scene--as if they have control of a Ouija Board. In this episode of the Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen and McKenna discuss strong characters and McKenna's favorite place to bring characters to life.

McKenna Dean has been an actress, a vet tech, a singer, a teacher, a biologist, and a dog trainer. She's worked in a genetics lab, at the stockyard, behind the scenes as a props manager, and at a pizza parlor slinging dough. Finally, she realized all these jobs were just a preparation for what she really wanted to be: a writer.

She lives on a small farm in North Carolina with her family, as well as the assorted dogs, cats, and various livestock.

She likes putting her characters in hot water to see how strong they are. Like tea bags, only sexier.

http://mckennadeanromance.com/

Journalist turned novelist Gail Hulnick shares her struggles with writing loglines and book blurbs, the difference between creating fact-based stories and fiction, and her favorite amusement park ride with host Alison Nissen in this edition of The Florida Writer Podcast.