Living The Next Chapter: Candid Conversations with Authors and Writers for Readers Searching for a New Read

EPISODE 751 - Jack Valerio - The Recipe to breaking down complex ideas into clear, practical steps - Uncommon Sense and Guaranteed Gourmet

In this episode, Dave sits down with author and lifelong educator Jack Valerio for a lively, deeply personal conversation about growth, mindset, and the power of thinking differently. Speaking from his home in Florida, Jack brings his unmistakable New York voice and perspective to a discussion that blends storytelling, life lessons, and practical philosophy.

Jack’s journey is anything but conventional. From a struggling student who fell behind early in life to a career educator who taught across multiple disciplines, his path is defined by overcoming limitations. That same theme carries into his personal life, where he didn’t begin dancing until his fifties, only to become a professional salsa dancer and instructor. Later, he discovered a passion for cooking in his sixties and is now writing multiple cookbooks. His message is clear: ability often follows belief, not the other way around.

At the core of the conversation is the concept behind his book on uncommon sense. Jack challenges the idea that common sense is reliable, arguing that widely accepted beliefs are often flawed or misunderstood. Instead, he encourages listeners to pause, question assumptions, and think independently, especially in moments when everyone else seems to agree. Through vivid stories, he illustrates how simple shifts in thinking can unlock solutions that others overlook.

Jack also shares his approach to writing and creating. Using AI as a collaborative tool, he describes a disciplined and highly iterative process built on constant refinement, feedback, and self-awareness. His background in education shapes his philosophy, emphasizing that learning never stops and that adapting to change is essential at any age.

Beyond writing, Jack applies his principles to his cookbooks, aiming to remove confusion and guarantee results for readers. His focus is not just on what to do, but how and why, reinforcing his belief that clarity and understanding lead to confidence.

Throughout the episode, Jack’s energy and honesty shine through. Whether discussing personal transformation, creative work, or the importance of action, he consistently returns to one idea: people are not stuck, they are simply thinking like everyone else.

Key Takeaway:
Real change begins when you challenge what feels obvious. By choosing to think differently, act decisively, and stay open to learning, you can unlock abilities and opportunities that once felt out of reach.

https://www.jackvalerio.com/

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EPISODE 750 - Lauren Kristen Roberts - Gemini Divided, The Breadcrumb Game, Fan Fiction Writing and Author Tips

Author and self-published novelist Lauren Roberts joins us from Northern Virginia to share the winding journey behind her books, her business decisions as an indie author, and the family support that keeps her stories moving forward. She talks about the many places she has lived, raising three teenagers and a dog named Thor, and how superhero fandom and comic books show up in her household culture as naturally as books do.

Lauren pulls back the curtain on the economics of self-publishing, explaining how word count, print costs, trim size, and paper choices all influence the final price of a book and the profit an author can reasonably expect. She describes learning that two novels with very different lengths were earning her different margins despite having the same list price, and how that realization is shaping her approach to her third book. She also explores the intangible impact of a cover that truly fits the genre, acknowledging that while she outsources cover design, a strong visual first impression is crucial for attracting the right readers.

Marketing, for Lauren, is as hands-on as her writing. She keeps inventory in her office so she can sell signed copies at craft fairs, book events, and any local venue willing to host an author table, often driving up to two hours to meet new readers. Her books are distributed through IngramSpark to online retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and she has personally approached independent bookstores to get copies onto shelves.

Lauren’s path into fiction began during a lonely season in Virginia Beach, when she was home with three young children, working part-time and craving something creative of her own. She rediscovered writing through fanfiction, using beloved TV series like AMC’s “The Killing” and NBC’s “Blindspot” as playgrounds for practice and experimentation. That fanfiction habit, combined with her husband’s suggestion to create original work she could monetize, led to a framework and characters that eventually became her debut novel.

In Gemini Divided, readers meet Jen, a former military operative working as an assassin to pay for her mother’s chemotherapy. The job fills her with guilt, but she sees no other way to cover the medical bills. Her double life becomes untenable when she is assigned to eliminate her favorite TV actor, the very person she secretly writes fanfiction about. Lauren explains how early drafts lacked a clear reason for Jen’s choices, and how feedback from her own mother forced her to create an emotional and moral foundation that would keep readers invested in a morally complicated heroine.

Her second novel, The Breadcrumb Game, follows Ella, whose house explodes just as she checks the mail, forcing her into an uneasy partnership with a grumpy FBI agent. As they race to learn who is trying to kill her and why, Ella’s childhood “breadcrumb game” with her estranged sister becomes a key to deciphering clues only she can recognize. Lauren hints at a shared universe between The Breadcrumb Game and Gemini Divided, with subtle nods that reward readers who pick up both books without requiring a specific reading order.

https://laurenkristenroberts.com/

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EPISODE 749 - Nicole Ward - Bio-hacking for the Sales Athlete - For Executives, sales leaders, founders, and anyone performing at a high level

Author and corporate executive Nicole Ward joins from Los Angeles to share how a late in life wake up call transformed her health, career, and now her work as an author and podcaster. She describes never really seeing herself as an author until, in her early fifties, inspiration suddenly “volcanoed” into a book idea that connected three areas of expertise in a way she had never seen before. Once she was clear on what she wanted to say, the writing process became energizing rather than intimidating, helped by an editor who protected her natural voice while shaping the manuscript.

Nicole explains why she chose to self publish, after being told traditional publishers might take years to bring her book to market. Encouraged by other authors, she invested strategically in professional editing, book design, and a second editorial review to ensure the book looked and read at a high level. She also built a personal advisory board of thirteen people from diverse backgrounds, asking them for blunt, honest feedback that led to key improvements and helped her refine the final version.

At the heart of the conversation is Nicole’s broader mission: The Executive Athlete. Drawing on her career working with C suite leaders and board members, she is focused on “bringing consciousness to power” by helping high level decision makers regulate their health, manage stress, and extend their healthspan. She demystifies biohacking as simply using data, tools, and targeted supplementation to understand your unique biology and age as well as possible, not as an extreme lifestyle reserved for tech billionaires. Her own journey began when, at thirty five, she was sixty pounds overweight, inflamed, exhausted, and so overworked that after rolling her SUV she worried more about missing a meeting than the accident itself.

Nicole shares practical, accessible strategies for busy professionals, like “exercise snacking” small bursts of movement with bands, light weights, or stairs throughout the day that can add up to real fitness without a 5 a.m. workout. She stresses that supplements are meant to augment, not replace, fundamentals like sleep, nutrition, and recovery, and that meaningful change comes from choosing one or two realistic actions instead of trying to overhaul everything at once. This same ethos shapes her two podcasts: Aon at the Top, where she interviews mid market corporate leaders about their path to the C suite, and The Executive Athlete, focused on executives who prioritize health, wellness, and longevity.

Speaking directly to listeners who feel stuck, unhealthy, or like they always put themselves last, Nicole is candid about once being a “quitter” with her health and pushing it to the bottom of her priority list. She underscores that change is possible at any age by taking small, consistent steps, honoring commitments to yourself, and giving yourself grace when you fall short. Her before and after story, now documented in her book and content, illustrates how rebuilding your health can not only transform your body but also your confidence, leadership, and capacity to show up fully for your family, colleagues, and community.

https://www.nicoleelizabethward.com/

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EPISODE 748 - Chris A Underwood -  The Cold Winter Grid-Down Book Series - Hidden Secrets in the Walls 

Author Chris A Underwood invites listeners into the real-world setting behind his Cold Winter series, beginning in the small village of Galena just north of Columbus, Ohio. In this conversation, he describes living in and restoring his historic 1850s home, once the town’s telegraph and later telephone office, where walls stuffed with hidden whiskey and extract bottles hint at the secret lives of past occupants. That same house, town square, and sense of buried history become the spine of his fictional world when a devastating winter power-grid failure throws Ohio into crisis.

Chris traces his lifelong pull toward storytelling, from a third-grade construction-paper book to creative writing classes and an English minor, even as he pursued business, accounting, and computer science to provide for his family. Years later, an interest in “prepping” rekindled his writing, as he asked what ordinary people would do on day one, day two, and beyond after a major event. Those questions evolved into a survival narrative grounded in his own home, his town, and the very real vulnerability of the power grid, inspired in part by the 2003 northeast blackout. He explains how building practical preparedness into his house and imagining life during a prolonged winter outage gave him a believable framework for his story.

A big part of this episode explores how community and craft shaped his work. Chris shares how joining a local writing group transformed his early drafts; honest, sometimes painful critiques pushed him to abandon a confusing first-person approach and rewrite in third person, freeing the story to follow multiple characters and perspectives. He talks about “torturing” his main character, a computer programmer much like himself, and weaving in deeply personal elements, including a son on the autism spectrum who eventually becomes a key hero in book three. For Chris, flawed, everyday people who make mistakes but keep trying are more compelling than perfect saviors.

The conversation also highlights how his research happens on the ground, not just online. To authentically portray helicopters, militias, and river battles, Chris embedded himself with the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation, volunteering at air shows, riding in Huey and Cobra helicopters, and channeling those sensations straight onto the page. He recounts a three-week tour on military bases, where he met new recruits, seasoned officers, and even fellow volunteers from his helicopter group, often giving readers their first signed book and seeing his series become part of their downtime between assignments.

His commitment to living the story extends to historic ships and river locks. Chris spent a month aboard the World War II landing ship LST-325 as it traveled the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, selling books, working in the wheelhouse, sleeping in bunks, and donating thousands of dollars back to the ship’s preservation. He has also shadowed lock workers on the river to capture the feel of barge traffic and infrastructure under strain, later staging key battles in those spaces on the page. Partnerships with museums and naval sites, including a destroyer in Buffalo, have given him insider tours and technical feedback, ensuring his fictional use of real vessels remains accurate while still imaginative.

Throughout the episode, Chris returns to a core theme: using story to explore how ordinary people respond when systems fail, and how community, moral compass, and determination matter as much as gear and tactics. Whether through a young Catholic priest serving as ethical anchor, neighbors opening their doors to stranded travelers, or volunteers keeping aging helicopters and ships alive, his books focus on people choosing to help, even when it is dangerous or inconvenient. He hints at future directions for the Cold Winter universe, including a potential fifth book that would tackle the messy realities of recovery after the grid comes back and society attempts to rebuild.

Key takeaway: This episode shows how deeply lived experience, disciplined feedback, and real-world immersion can turn a “what if” scenario into a rich, human survival saga. Listeners come away with a sense that great fiction can grow directly out of ordinary life, historic places, and a willingness to both receive tough critique and step into the environments you want to write about.

https://authorchrisaunderwood.com/

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EPISODE 747 - Spencer Hixon - Urban fantasy novels and short stories - A Sinister Love and Fate and Fortune

Author Spencer Hixon joins the podcast to discuss his journey as a writer, the creative process behind his novels, and the imaginative world he is building through interconnected stories that blend fantasy, romance, and philosophical ideas about fate and time.

Spencer shares how his life has taken him across the United States, from California to Washington DC, South Carolina, and eventually Indiana. Each move was tied to career and family opportunities rather than a desire to relocate, shaping his perspective and experiences along the way. Today he lives near South Bend while continuing to develop a growing body of fiction.

At the center of Spencer’s writing process is organization and structure. With many ideas constantly forming, he keeps a running system of notes and outlines he jokingly calls “Spencer’s brain.” While he often develops multiple story ideas at once, he focuses on writing one project at a time to maintain continuity and clarity. Detailed outlines, character histories, and color coded notes help him track character motivations, reveal background information gradually, and ensure every scene serves the larger narrative.

Character psychology plays a central role in his storytelling. Spencer approaches scenes by mentally stepping into the perspective of every character involved, allowing each one to act according to their own motivations. This method often leads to unexpected turns in the story as characters evolve beyond their original roles. While he usually knows the ending before he begins writing, the journey toward that ending frequently shifts as the characters develop.

His books often experiment with storytelling structure and genre. While they are generally categorized as urban fantasy, Spencer describes them as hybrid stories that combine elements of romance, adventure, and philosophical exploration. He enjoys challenging traditional narrative frameworks such as the hero’s journey and sometimes reverses familiar tropes to create new dynamics between characters.

Spencer’s fictional universe spans two connected trilogies. The first begins with A Sinister Love, a story about a demon named Scribble who works a desk job in purgatory before being sent to Earth to tempt a human. What begins as a humorous romance evolves into a much larger mystery involving conspiracies and the structure of the afterlife. The second storyline, beginning with Fate and Fortune, explores the consequences of altering destiny. In that story, a man who once made a deal to change his fate must travel back through key moments of his life to prevent disastrous outcomes, while each trip through time costs him precious moments from his remaining lifespan.

Through these stories Spencer explores universal questions about choice, destiny, and the moments in life that shape who we become. His work invites readers to consider how small decisions can create lasting consequences and whether changing the past would truly lead to a better future.

https://www.spencerhixon.com/

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EPISODE 746 - Douglas Smith - Character Based Writing, Bundling Short Stories, Spirit Dance and Borderlanz

Author and guest Douglas Smith joins the show from Unionville, just outside Toronto, reflecting on Canadian winters, good coffee, and the long path that led him to finally chase his writing dream in his early forties. He admits he waited too long, always assuming he would “start someday,” until the early death of one of his favorite authors, Roger Zelazny, jolted him into action. Looking back, he wishes someone had told him to simply start, and to begin with short stories instead of aiming immediately at a big novel. For Douglas, short fiction is the ideal training ground: it lets writers experiment with different genres, voices, and techniques across many smaller projects, while also teaching them how to submit, handle rejection, and learn from editors.

That philosophy inspired his book for emerging writers, Playing the Short Game, which walks beginners through why and how to build a career through short fiction, from first draft to contracts and rights management. Douglas describes how writing many short stories gave him a full creative toolbox before he ever tackled novels. He also highlights the emotional journey of early rejections, the encouragement of personalized feedback, and the importance of protecting your rights so you can later reprint stories, resell them, or collect them into your own books.

As an author, Douglas is known for richly developed characters and a distinctly visual, cinematic style. He finds it ironic that readers praise his settings because description used to be his biggest struggle, until a craft lesson on “writing setting as character” helped him anchor description in point of view and emotion. He explains how short fiction forced him to make every word count, hook readers from the first line, and compress full worldbuilding and character arcs into just a few thousand words. Those same skills now strengthen his novels, including his shapeshifter universe (beginning with the story “Spirit Dance” and the novel The Wolf at the End of the World), his Dream Rider Saga trilogy, and a connected near-future post-apocalyptic science fiction project.

Douglas also demystifies short story collections, talking about how he sequences stories to shape a satisfying reader experience, balances length, tone, and genre, and always includes at least one new story to reward dedicated fans. He shares how reviews and endorsements from admired authors can be both powerful and dangerous for writers, recommending that beginners protect themselves from early negative reviews while still learning to use positive feedback as encouragement and promotion. Throughout, he returns to the themes of experimentation, resilience, and generosity: using short fiction to grow your craft, building a backlist that can be repackaged over time, and paying it forward to the next generation of writers.

Key takeaway: Douglas’s journey shows that it is never too late to start writing, and that beginning with short fiction can give you the skills, confidence, and resilience you need to build a lasting, flexible career as an author.

https://smithwriter.com/

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EPISODE 745 - Scott Clifford Mack - Soccer On Sunday In The Park and Adventures of a Forgotten Man

Author and guest Scott Clifford Mack joins us from Falmouth, Maine, a coastal community with a deep literary tradition and a revolutionary-era history that mirrors his themes of resilience and reinvention. He describes Maine as an introspective place that quietly supports the inner life of a writer, even as he humbly refrains from placing himself among its famous names. Scott shares an early, sobering experience at a publishing seminar where an industry professional bluntly stated that most first novels will never see the light of day. What felt devastating at the time eventually became a foundational lesson about failure, resilience, and the necessity of honest self-assessment. He admits his early work was not as strong as he believed, and that accepting this truth pushed him to improve his craft.

Over the years, Scott has written novels, magazine articles, essays, and short stories, facing both rejection and acceptance. These experiences deepened his confidence and clarified his priorities. He realized he writes primarily for the love of writing itself, not for guarantees of publication or acclaim. For him, joy comes from sitting alone with a story, refining each sentence, and “baking the cake” before worrying about covers and marketing. Scott prefers to keep his voice as pure as possible, resisting heavy editorial direction so his work remains fully his own. He reads widely across genres, studying how other authors structure stories and shape language, and emphasizes that a compelling story is what ultimately carries a reader from first page to last.

Scott’s first published novel, Soccer on Sunday in the Park, grew from lifelong passion and multiple failed attempts to write about the sport he loves. The book centers on a diverse group of everyday people who gather weekly for informal pickup soccer. Through their eyes, he explores three main themes: a grassroots homage to the game, the power of human connection across age, background, and culture, and the importance of adults continuing to play and embrace the humility and resilience that come with games. 

His second novel, Adventures of a Forgotten Man, shifts to corporate culture, remote work, and the modern world of employment. Inspired by a real report of remote employees who stopped logging in yet continued to be paid, Scott imagines a man “misplaced” by a large insurance company and explores what happens when work becomes transactional and disconnected. The protagonist’s journey contrasts older, more personal workplace eras with today’s diffuse, digital reality, raising questions about identity, loyalty, and meaning in work.

Throughout the conversation, Scott explains his character-building process, from notebooks and detailed profiles to the surprising way minor figures sometimes grow into pivotal roles. He is especially drawn to “under the radar” people and finding the remarkable in the seemingly unremarkable.

https://www.instagram.com/scmack13

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EPISODE 744 - Luna Westish - Meet Me at the Ruins - The Story of Margo, a Student and Story Set In Scotland

In this episode, author Luna Westish shares the unexpected path that led her to writing and publishing her debut novel, Meet Me at the Ruins. From relocating her family to Mexico City during the pandemic to navigating the realities of self-publishing, Luna reflects on creativity, personal growth, and the lessons she learned along the way.

Luna begins by discussing the major life decision that reshaped her family’s world. After years of talking about living abroad, she and her partner chose the uncertainty of the pandemic as the moment to take the leap. Selling nearly all their belongings and leaving Tacoma, Washington behind, they moved to Mexico City with their children. What began as an experiment quickly turned into a new home as they found community in the vibrant, international city. While Luna still misses the nature and coastline of the Pacific Northwest, the move created space for new experiences and creative exploration.

That sense of experimentation carries into Luna’s approach to writing. Contrary to common advice that writers must produce words daily or follow strict routines, Luna discovered that creativity works best when she allows flexibility. Writing for her happens in bursts of inspiration, often in quiet coffee shops in the morning. Instead of focusing on word counts or rigid goals, she treats writing as a process of curiosity and self-discovery, allowing stories to emerge naturally rather than forcing them.

Her journey into fiction was equally unplanned. Luna spent years writing nonfiction, including academic work, policy reports on climate change, and articles related to small business. Eventually she began writing deeply personal essays about her childhood growing up in a restrictive religious environment. That vulnerable work opened the door to fiction. Inspired by weekly coffee shop writing sessions with her teenager, she started drafting a story that eventually became her novel.

Meet Me at the Ruins follows Margot, a college student studying abroad in Edinburgh in the early 2000s. The novel explores anxiety, identity, relationships, and the search for purpose during a formative stage of life. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of Edinburgh, the story blends elements of coming-of-age, romance, and contemporary literary fiction while focusing on emotional growth rather than a traditional plot-driven arc.

Luna also offers candid insight into the publishing world. After partially releasing the story online, she queried agents and publishers but ultimately chose to self-publish when contracts lacked clarity around responsibilities and timelines. The experience revealed how complex book marketing can be, from building advance reader groups to securing reviews and interviews. Her biggest lesson for aspiring authors: allow far more time for marketing and outreach than you think you’ll need.

Despite the challenges, Luna views the entire process as a learning experience rather than a purely commercial pursuit. For her, writing is about exploration, connection, and sharing stories that resonate emotionally with readers. That same mindset shapes her parenting, encouraging her children to pursue creativity for joy rather than productivity.

https://lunawestish.wordpress.com/
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EPISODE 743 - Luke K Wilson -  Science Fiction Author - Icewind and Falcata

Falcata
Author: Luke K. Wilson
Release Date: February  2026

Description:
Falcata is a science fiction epic from Luke K. Wilson

The Maran Ark contains the last of a shattered civilization. These last remaining bands of humans are all that survived the destruction of Mara, their beloved home world, and they’ve been on the run from their enigmatic, unsympathetic enemies ever since. Now, they wander through a devastated, desolate galaxy filled with the ruins and remnants of long-dead empires, as well as pirates and marauders out to prey on anything still living. Only one thing keeps the Marans going: the promise of a new world to call their own and the hope that one day their children will be born beneath and open sky, with soil beneath their feet.

Leanette-14810 is a young girl born into the Ark long after Mara’s destruction. She is raised listening to the horrors of their home world’s fall, as well as the haunting rumors of what lurks outside the Ark’s hull. Now, she must walk a rigid path which prioritizes the collective good, and society’s survival against all odds. She approaches adulthood and a predetermined life as a Maran woman, to never leave the confines and relative safety of the Ark.

But when Leanette is banished from the Ark’s rigid caste system dictated by gender and aptitude, she is thrust into a terrifying world she never knew existed. She eventually realizes the greatest threats facing the Ark’s survival are not outside its hull, but deep within them.

Facebook Author Page:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576851991360

My Listing on the Publisher's website:
Falcata - Golden Storyline Books
https://goldenstorylinebooks.com/falcata/

Amazon.com: Falcata eBook : K. Wilson, Luke: Kindle Store
https://a.co/d/0erRobxF

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EPISODE 742 - Eric Clark - The Beekman Affair - The perfect couple, the perfect life, the perfect lie

In this conversation, Eric Clark reflects on his journey as a writer and the deeper themes behind his work. Speaking from San Diego after growing up in New York City, he shares how perspective and lived experience shape both storytelling and personal identity.

Eric emphasizes that writing must begin with love for the craft rather than a focus on publishing or marketability. For him, creativity should remain untainted by the pressures of agents, sales, or audience targeting. The work has to come from an internal need to express something true. Inspiration often arrives unexpectedly, and reading other authors can spark new ideas without becoming plagiarism. Every story ultimately filters through the writer’s unique experiences.

At the heart of his latest novel is an exploration of perspective, change, and the discomfort that comes when deeply held values are challenged. The story follows Claire and Peter, a married couple whose backgrounds shaped them in very different ways. Claire is driven, accomplished, and structured. Peter is reflective, conflict averse, and open. When new neighbors move in and tension rises, existing marital strain surfaces and forces both characters to confront their assumptions.

The novel examines how people evolve over years, not months. Change is gradual and often painful, especially when it challenges identity or stability. Eric draws from his own background as the child of immigrants to portray characters who understand both the inside and the outside of belonging. His writing consistently returns to themes of outsiders navigating systems that may accept them conditionally.

Throughout the discussion, Eric highlights the complexity of social and political perspectives. He avoids caricatures, instead giving sincere voice to multiple viewpoints. The story challenges readers to recognize how easily we forget our own past struggles once we feel secure. It asks what happens when change arrives next door rather than at a distance, and whether we can extend empathy across differences.

Ultimately, Eric writes for readers who remain open to growth. His goal is not to divide but to invite reflection on how we handle change, identity, and community in a complicated world.

New Release: The Beekman Affair
Publication Date: Coming March 17th by Glass Spider Publishing

The perfect couple. The perfect life. The perfect lie.

Clare and Peter Davidson have always looked like they had it all—college sweethearts turned devoted partners, with two bright children and a picture-perfect home in the tight-knit community of Beekman. But behind the manicured lawn and warm smiles lies a marriage quietly unraveling under the weight of secrets, betrayals, and unspoken regrets.

When Beekman itself begins to fracture—factory closures, job losses, neighbors forced to choose sides in a bitter local conflict—Clare and Peter find themselves on opposite ends of a fight that hits closer to home than they ever imagined. As the town’s tensions mount, so do the cracks in Clare’s carefully constructed world.

The Beekman Affair is a gripping story of loss, betrayal, and the quiet courage it takes to reclaim your own life—no matter the cost.

https://ericclarkauthor.com/

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