In this episode of In Other Words, we’re pulling back the curtain on a real book-in-progress and the collaboration between two of our authors that brought it to life.

One author handed over a full story outline. The other took that skeleton and began weaving flesh, breath, and momentum into it. And then the four of us sat down together and did what creatives do best: we followed the threads. We tugged at ideas. We asked “what if?” We explored alternate paths the story could take, and watched how one spark leads to another until suddenly you’re holding something richer, stronger, and more alive than where you started.

This episode isn’t just about collaboration—it’s about the flow of story. The way narrative shifts when different minds touch it. The way a book becomes a book because people are willing to play, question, reshape, and imagine together.

If you’ve ever wondered how stories evolve behind the scenes, or how authors work together to build something bigger than either could create alone, pull up a chair. You’re in the room with us for this one.

A Production of Crimson Crow Press

In this episode of In Other Words, we dig into one of the biggest conversations happening in the writing world right now: AI‑generated manuscripts—and why Crimson Crow Press does not accept them.

According to our official submission guidelines, “AI‑generated work (manuscripts must be entirely human‑authored)” and in this episode, we explain exactly why. Human writing is messy, emotional, imperfect, and alive. We want to see your messy—your voice, your fingerprints, your humanity.

We also share several exciting updates from behind the scenes at Crimson Crow Press:

• Our website is currently undergoing a full overhaul
• We are actively accepting manuscripts 
• We’ve already had a wave of interested authors reaching out 
• We’re planning future workshops to support struggling writers 
• We are finishing up submissions for our upcoming Crimson Crow Press Anthology, which will be going to press in September 
• And yes… a lot is happening very quickly, and we’re keeping up 

If you’re an author ready to submit your work, please read our full guidelines and send your manuscript through our official submission portal:

Submit your manuscript: https://crimsoncrowpress.com/author-submission-guidelines/

Visit our website: https://crimsoncrowpress.com

Be sure to catch up on past episodes of In Other Words Podcast today!


A Production of Crimson Crow Press

On this episode of In Other Words Podcast, Pam, Jan, Val, and Karen sit down with Dawn Parks—an elementary teacher, marathon‑training runner, avid baker, and middle‑grade author who came out publicly as transgender in 2025, becoming one of the only openly trans elementary teachers in Iowa.

With nearly 30 years in the classroom, Dawn has witnessed firsthand the challenges today’s kids face. That experience shapes her writing: honest, compassionate middle‑grade fiction that doesn’t shy away from tough subjects. She has published three novels so far, including her newest release—her first featuring a queer protagonist.

In this conversation, Dawn shares what it was like to come out publicly as a teacher, how running and biking help her navigate life, why she loves baking pies, and how writing stories for young readers has become a powerful way to support kids who are searching for belonging, identity, and hope.

It’s a warm, thoughtful, deeply human episode about authenticity, resilience, and the importance of writing about real life situations in children’s literature.

Watch, listen, and join the conversation.

A Production of Crimson Crow Press

In this episode of In Other Words Podcast, Jan, Val, Karen, and Pam sit down with two extraordinary leaders from the Des Moines Pride Center: longtime LGBTQIA+ advocate Rick Miller and Pride Center President Sarah High.

Rick has spent nearly 50 years shaping and preserving Iowa’s queer history. From his first Pride Week in 1976 to his leadership in organizations like the Gay Coalition of Des Moines and the Gay & Lesbian Resource Center, Rick’s work has helped define LGBTQIA+ community life in the Midwest. This year, he was honored with the opening of the Rick Miller LGBTQ Library, a 4,000‑book collection dedicated to queer literature, archives, and community storytelling.

Joining him is Sarah High, a Licensed Master Social Worker, Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and President of the Des Moines Pride Center. Sarah brings deep experience in mental health, addiction recovery, and crisis response through her work with the Central Iowa VA and UnityPoint Eyerly Ball. Her leadership reflects a commitment to building safe, affirming, and resilient spaces for LGBTQ+ Iowans.

Together, Rick and Sarah share powerful insights into:

• The creation and impact of the Rick Miller LGBTQ Library
• The importance of preserving queer history in Iowa
• Mental health and crisis needs within LGBTQ+ communities
• The mission and future of the Des Moines Pride Center
• What gives them hope as advocates and community leaders

This is a heartfelt, inspiring conversation about identity, resilience, and the people doing the work to keep community alive.

Subscribe to In Other Words Podcast for more conversations with creatives, community leaders, and storytellers.

A Production of Crimson Crow Press

Psychic medium Kristi Campbell of Tulsa, Oklahoma joins In Other Words for a powerful, grounded conversation about intuition, mediumship, and what it really means to live with psychic abilities in everyday life. Kristi shares how she first recognized her gifts, how she learned to trust them, and why her work centers compassion, clarity, and emotional healing.

We explore the realities of connecting with loved ones who’ve passed, the responsibility that comes with mediumship, and the ways intuition shows up for all of us — even when we don’t recognize it. This episode is honest, human, and full of the kind of insight that lingers long after the conversation ends.

If you’re curious about psychic development, spiritual connection, or the unseen threads that shape our lives, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Catch more of Kristi on her website at www.kindredinsights.com

Listen, subscribe, and share if this conversation resonates.

A Production of Crimson Crow Press

They call him the Rock n’ Roll Ghost Hunter — and for good reason. With nearly 50 years of paranormal investigation behind him, Keith Age has built a reputation as one of the field’s most grounded, evidence‑driven researchers. Known for cutting through myth and speculation, he approaches hauntings through history, environment, and verifiable evidence, earning respect from skeptics and believers alike. Keith is the host of the Booth Brothers’ acclaimed Spooked documentary series (Christopher Saint Booth & Philip Adrian Booth), and his work has appeared in 40+ television shows across major networks. In 1996, he founded the Louisville Ghost Hunters, one of the region’s longest‑running investigative teams and a cornerstone of Midwestern paranormal research. Now, Keith is entering a new era with Bourbon Spirits, a series blending Kentucky heritage, historic locations, and the lingering mysteries woven into the Bluegrass State’s past. Five decades in, his mission remains unchanged: Strip away the myths. Follow the facts. Let the evidence speak. In this episode, we talk about: His nearly 50‑year journey in paranormal investigation Why he rejects metaphysical explanations in favor of grounded research Behind‑the‑scenes stories from his documentaries The founding and evolution of the Louisville Ghost Hunters His upcoming series Bourbon Spirits What still keeps him chasing the unexplained after all these years If you love paranormal history, documentary filmmaking, or no‑nonsense investigation, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

A Production of Crimson Crow Press

With the whole Crimson Crow Press team gathered around the table, we dive into what’s new at the press, what’s coming next, and how we’re shaping the future of our creative ecosystem.

We talk through the latest updates to our website, share what we’re building for authors and clients, and walk step‑by‑step through how we chose the cover for our upcoming anthology. It’s a candid, laughter‑filled conversation that opens the curtain on our process, from early story development, to editorial collaboration, to cover design, to marketing support.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work with a small press that’s hands‑on, heart‑forward, and deeply invested in its creators, this episode gives you the full picture.

Relaxed, honest, and full of personality. This Crimson Crow Press at its most authentic.

A Production of Crimson Crow Press

Christine Frisina writes from a place where memory, legacy, and courage intersect. Her “Lost” series began as a gift to her granddaughters as a way to show them that the impossible is often just the beginning. But the deeper she wrote, the more she realized these stories weren’t only for them. They were for anyone standing at the edge of their own unknown.

Encouraged by industry legends and guided by trusted friends, Christine stepped fully into authorship with Lost in Japan, a story born from lived experience and the quiet determination that shapes a family across generations. That book opened the door to Lost in Silicon Valley, and now to her most personal work yet: Lost in Hollywood, the story of David Frisina—concertmaster, recording studio musician, and son of an Italian immigrant who arrived at Ellis Island in 1900 with nothing but a violin and a future.
At the heart of Christine’s writing is a single question that continues to call her forward: “What does your inheritance require of you?”

Through her books and conversations, Christine explores how the people who came before us—whether tender, distant, or difficult—shape the stories we are meant to tell. Her work is an invitation to look backward with honesty, and forward with purpose.

This podcast follows Christine as she uncovers the threads of family, history, artistry, and identity that weave through her life and her writing. It’s about the courage to keep going, the responsibility of legacy, and the unexpected places we find ourselves when we follow the stories that refuse to let us go.

A Production of Crimson Crow Press

In this episode of In Other Words, we decided to use the moment to check in with ourselves — as writers, editors, creators, and co-founders of Crimson Crow Press.

Join us as we talk about:
• What we’re building behind the scenes with Crimson Crow Press
• How we’re navigating our individual writing journeys
• The realities of creative careers in transition
• What’s inspiring us, challenging us, and pulling us forward

If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to run a small press, balance multiple creative roles, or keep writing while life keeps lifing — this episode is for you.

About In Other Words:  A podcast for writers, editors, and storytellers who want to explore the craft, the industry, and the creative life with honesty and heart. Hosted by the team behind Crimson Crow Press.

About Crimson Crow Press A small press dedicated to collaborative publishing, atmospheric storytelling, and amplifying unique voices across genres.

🔔Subscribe for more conversations about writing, publishing, creativity, and the strange magic of making stories real.

A Production of Crimson Crow Press

In this episode of In Other Words Podcast, we sit down with Jacaranda Summerfield, a woman whose life reads like an epic--born in South Africa, trained as a barrister, transformed into a bush pilot, farmer, explorer, and the first woman to pass the Zimbabwe Professional Hunter Guides License exam.

Jacaranda shares her remarkable journey across continents and identities:
• growing up under the lavender canopy of Africa’s jacaranda trees
• rejecting the path chosen for her to chase the sky instead
• building an African art business in the U.S.
• returning home to Zimbabwe to raise her children in wild, multicultural freedom
• flying into remote, untouched places in search of artifacts and adventure
• navigating political upheaval, personal reinvention, and the courage to start again

Today, she lives in Santa Barbara surrounded by nature, family and her creature companions—still driven by her lifelong passion for unspoiled places and the stories they hold.

This conversation is a tapestry of resilience, wanderlust, motherhood, and the fierce determination to live life on one’s own terms. Jacaranda’s voice is warm, witty, and unfiltered, offering a rare window into a world few ever experience.

If you love stories of transformation, wild landscapes, and women who refuse to be contained, this episode is for you. Listen, share, and join us as we explore the extraordinary life of Jacaranda Summerfield—in her own words.

A Production of Crimson Crow Press