Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews Deborah Kevin, the visionary founder and chief inspiration officer at Highlander Press, about her new book SHELF LIFE: A Field Guide to Long-Term Author Success.

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

This episode is sponsored by the Show, Don't Tell Writing Podcast with Suzy Vadori. In this weekly show, Suzy brings you writing techniques, best practices, motivation, inspirational stories from real live authors out there making it in the world, and actionable advice that can help you turn that book you're writing into the bestseller you know deep down that it can be.

During the interview Mark and Deborah talk about:

• How Deborah describes herself as one of the most curious people you'll ever meet
• First learning about the Camino de Santiago in 2013, and then later walking the pilgrimage in chunks
• Learning to read when she was four years old, and Deborah's first library card at the age of five
• Writing her first "novelette" when she was eleven years old, and then later adapting that initial story into a novel that she used to get into Stanford
• The giant wall calendar that Deborah uses for planning out the year using different colored sticky notes
• Launching Highlander Press, and the story behind the initial name Deborah wanted to use to denote the idea of a mission
• The 51 books that Highlander Press has released (as of November 2024 when the interview was conducted)
• Shifting the structure of the way we talk about running a business from less masculine energy and more feminine energy
• Deborah's new book: SHELF LIFE: A Field Guide to Long-Term Author Success and the origin of writing it
• How promotion and marketing can be simple and easy and to properly serve readers
• Suggestions for authors on pre and post publication promotions
• The importance of ensuring that "fun" is a part of the work you do when showing off your creative works and life
• How showing up as ourselves authentically is one of the best things an author can do
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of dividing big tasks into chunks, the importance of not self-rejecting, and being one's authentic self.

Links of Interest:

• Highlander Press Books
• Deborah Kevin on LinkedIn
• EP 142- Strategies for Launching a Book During a Pandemic with Suzy Vadori
• EP 398 - Multiple Outlets for Your Writing with Denise Baden
• EP 397 - In It For the Creativity and Connection with Ron Vitale
• EP 396 - Waubgeshig Rice on Community, Publishing, and the Creative Journey
• Form for Listener Reflections for Episode 400
• Superstars Writing Seminars
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
  • How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds
• Mark's YouTube channel
• Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
• An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
• The Relaxed Author
  • Buy eBook Direct
  • Buy Audiobook Direct
• Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
• An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
• Wide for the Win
• Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
  • This Time Around (Short Story)
  • A Canadian Werewolf in New York
  • Stowe Away (Novella)
  • Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
  • Fright Nights, Big City
  • Lover's Moon
  • Hex and the City
  • Only Monsters in the Building
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
• Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Deborah Kevin, the visionary founder and chief inspiration officer at Highlander Press, ignites change-makers to share their stories of healing and truth. Having steered hundreds of authors to literary success, she's a beacon for impactful writing. Deborah also hosts the STORYTELLHER podcast, amplifying women's voices one riveting episode at a time. When she's not shaping the future of publishing, she's globetrotting from the historic trails of Camino de Santiago to the comforts of home in Maryland with her soulmate, Rob, their adventurous sons, and a mischievous puppy, Fergus.

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews Denise Baden about the novel/book version of Murder in the Climate Assembly as well as the various incarnations and adaptions she had created for the stage and television.

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.

During the interview Mark and Denise talk about:

• Denise's varied educational, professional, and personal background which has given her a finger in "every pie"
• How Denise turned to fiction because it's her joy
• The different formats that a story can take for a creative person
• Denise's memoir "Confessions of a Climate Activist in a Business School" and how she adapted it into a novel by fictionalizing some elements
• Also creating a re-adaptation of the story into a stage play "Murder in the Citizens' Jury"
• The additional dramatic monolog version of the play that Denise created
• The TV-script version that Denise also wrote based on this
• The videos that Denise has that share these highlights
• How the different mediums inform Denise's approach to each version of the story
• Not feeling good about the traditional publishing offer Denise rec'd for the book
• A Kickstarter project that Denise is launching related to this same IP
• The struggle with what to do as a reward, and what to do as an add-on
• How too much of existing climate fiction is so dystopian in nature
• The white-washing that some companies tried to do in partnering Denise's Green Stories project
• The idea of thrutopian fiction
• And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on the choice Denise made to turn down a publishing contract and launch the book leveraging Kickstarter, as well as the genius way she's taken a single IP and adapted into numerous formats and platforms.

Links of Interest:

• Denise Baden's Website
  • Murder in the Citizens Jury
  • Denise's Kickstarter for Murder in the Climate Assembly
  • The Green Stories Project
• T. Thorn Coyle's Resistance Matters Kickstarter
• EP 304 - Narrative Transportation with Denise Baden
• EP 397 - In It For The Creativity and Compassion with Ron Vitale
• EP 395 - Rants and Reflections From the Road on 2024 Sales Sharing
• Form for Listener Reflections for Episode 400
• Patreon Article with Zoom Hangout Links (for Episode 400 Listener Reflections)
• Wide for the Win WIDEStream (YouTube Link)
• Superstars Writing Seminars
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
  • How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds
• Mark's YouTube channel
• Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
• An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
• The Relaxed Author
  • Buy eBook Direct
  • Buy Audiobook Direct
• Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
• An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
• Wide for the Win
• Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
  • This Time Around (Short Story)
  • A Canadian Werewolf in New York
  • Stowe Away (Novella)
  • Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
  • Fright Nights, Big City
  • Lover's Moon
  • Hex and the City
  • Only Monsters in the Building
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
• Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Denise Baden is a Professor of Sustainability at the University of Southampton and a writer. Her eco-themed rom-com 'Habitat Man' was published in 2021, followed by 'The Assassin' and 'No More Fairy Tales: Stories to Save the Planet' in 2022. Denise is listed on the Forbes list of Climate Leaders Changing the Film and TV industry and has worked with Bafta on #ClimateCharacters exploring cultural aspects of sustainability. A TV adaptation of her play 'Murder in the Citizens' Jury' was a winner of the 2024 Writing Climate Pitchfest and is under consideration by Hollywood producers. She is currently launching the novel version 'Murder in the Climate Assembly' on Kickstarter.

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews Ron Vitale about his writing, and his recent unflinching and honest looks at his writing income versus expenses.

Prior to the interview, Mark talks about wanting to hear from listeners on THEIR reflections via an online form or via a few Zoom hangouts (see more info here) for forthcoming Episode 400.

Mark also shares comments, a personal update and word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place Feb 6 through 9, 2025 in Colorado Springs, CO.

Use code: MARK1592 to get $100 off your registration.

In their conversation Mark and Ron talk about:

• Ron growing up in an environment where a family member stuggled with alcoholism and then learning how to heal from some of the trauma experienced in his past
• The 2020 lockdown blog posts that Ron wrote and shared in order to help others who might be dealing with that and giving back to the community
• The four "Let Go And Be Free" books he released that were derived from that blog content
• Writing his first short fiction at the age of 9 and his first novel at 16
• Ron's Masters degree and how his topic related to trauma
• How to date Ron's best success as an author has been with his "Let Go and Be Free: 100 Daily Reflections for Adult Children of Alcoholics" books
• Shooting for 365 reflections for his books, but ending up with 400
• The value in creating content thinking of the benefit to himself as well as others, and how that worked out extremely well because of the way it hit with the correct audience
• How Ron's fiction titles dealt with most of the same issues, but that they ended up hitting different with the audiences
• Making a decision of what he needs to let go of in order to make more space for focusing on what he wants to do as a writer
• The five different fiction series that Ron has written, including a Cinderella fairy tale-inspired series, and a Were-whale series inspired by Moby Dick
• Ron's start in indie writing in 2009 and publishing in 2011
• Why Ron has consistently shared such an honest and unflinching look at the economics of his own publishing journey
• Sharing his annual numbers for about 10 years and how only two of those years were ones where he earned more than he spent
• How 2024 was a "non-marketing-spending" year for Ron as an important experiment
• The elements of the filter that most people put on before they share something publicly or on social media'
• The regular habits that Ron says make an important difference
• Being touched by a personal message from a reader who appreciated one of Ron's audiobooks and how it moved her
• How Ron isn't in writing just for the money, but for so many other reasons
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on a few things Ron said and also shares a special offer to listeners in support of both Ron and the Stark Reflections community, thanks to Mark's coffee buddy Nikki Guerlain.

Links of Interest:

• Ron Vitale's Website
  • Ron's Blog:
    • What I Learned About Indie Publishing in 2024
    • What I Learned About Indie Publishing in 2023
    • What I Learned About Indie Publishing in 2022
    • 2021 Year End Wrap Up: Full Sales and Expenses
• EP 396 - Waubgeshig Rice on Community, Publishing, and The Creative Journey
• EP 395 - Rants and Reflections From the Road on 2024 Sales Sharing
• Form for Listener Reflections for Episode 400
• Patreon Article with Zoom Hangout Links (for Episode 400 Listener Reflections)
• Superstars Writing Seminars
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
  • How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds
• Mark's YouTube channel
• Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
• An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
• The Relaxed Author
  • Buy eBook Direct
  • Buy Audiobook Direct
• Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
• An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
• Wide for the Win
• Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
  • This Time Around (Short Story)
  • A Canadian Werewolf in New York
  • Stowe Away (Novella)
  • Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
  • Fright Nights, Big City
  • Lover's Moon
  • Hex and the City
  • Only Monsters in the Building
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
• Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews Waubgeshig Rice, an author and journalist from Wasauksing First Nation, and the author of four books, most notably the bestselling novels Moon of the Crusted Snow and Moon of the Turning Leaves.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments, a personal update and word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place Feb 6 through 9, 2025 in Colorado Springs, CO.

Use code: MARK1592 to get $100 off your registration.

In their conversation Mark and Waubgeshig talk about:

• Waub's interest in high school with English classes but still feeling like there was no strong connection and that not many of the books and stories being taught in Ontario in the 1990s were all that relatable
• Being shown books by indigenous authors via his Auntie that weren't being studied in school -- books by authors such as Richard Wagamese, Lee Maracle, Louise Erdrich -- and how that blew his world wide open and included thoughts such as maybe he could do that himself some day
• The Grade 12 Writing Course taught by Tom Bennett at Parry Sound High School that helped Waubgeshig in shaping stories
• Being side-tracked from creative writing by studying and beginning a career in journalism
• The benefit of getting to know writers and artists in the Toronto area in the early 2000s
• Applying for his first writing grant from Canada Council for the Arts in 2004
• Waub's first book, Midnight Sweat Lodge, a connected short story collection
• How things really changed when Waubgeshig's Moon of the Crusted Snow first came out in 2018
• Leaving full time journalism employment at CBC to become a full-time writer in 2020
• The Northeast Blackout of 2003 and how his experiences being back home at Wasauksing First Nation near Parry Sound when it was all going down is what inspired Waubgeshig in writing Moon of the Crusted Snow
• Coming to the realization that home was the best place to be if this were actually a world-ending electricity blackout
• The stereotypes and mythologies about what life on a reservation is, and how, during that dark moment, it was a reminder of the resources and the beauty that place could actually be
• Expressing the heartfelt spirit of community that has withstood a lot of violence historically, and how that helps a group of people survive this latest major crisis
• Deciding to set the story in a location that a little further removed from Southern Ontario than where Waubgeshig actually grew up
• Waub's approach in writing the sequel and wanting it to take place several years after the events in the first novel and how that came to happen
• How the second novel explores the way the people of the community are able to live more autonomously on the land as Anishinaabe people
• The interesting publishing path that Waubgeshig's first novel took in landing at ECW Press
• Working with acquiring editor Susan Renouf and how great an experience that was and the wonderful suggestions she made to improve the raw manuscript
• The speculative fiction elements of a post-apocalyptic novel and Waub feeling so accepted in the SF/F community
• How the success of Moon of the Crusted Snow led Waub to getting agent representation by Denise Bukowski
• The path that led to Penguin Random House offering the contract for the sequel Moon of the Turning Leaves
• The new project that Waub is working on now
• Advice that Waub would offer to other writers
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on several different things he was thinking about during and after the conversation.

Links of Interest:

• Waubgeshig Rice Website
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Bluesky
• Superstars Writing Seminars
• EP 389 - "Now You've Gone" with Cathy Rankin and Ken K. Mary
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
  • How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds
• Mark's YouTube channel
• Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
• An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
• The Relaxed Author
  • Buy eBook Direct
  • Buy Audiobook Direct
• Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
• An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
• Wide for the Win
• Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
  • This Time Around (Short Story)
  • A Canadian Werewolf in New York
  • Stowe Away (Novella)
  • Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
  • Fright Nights, Big City
  • Lover's Moon
  • Hex and the City
  • Only Monsters in the Building
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
• Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Waubgeshig Rice is an author and journalist from Wasauksing First Nation.

He's written four books, most notably the bestselling novels Moon of the Crusted Snow, and Moon of the Turning Leaves.

He graduated from the journalism program at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2002, and spent most of his journalism career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a video journalist and radio host.

He left CBC in 2020 to focus on his literary career.

In addition to his writing endeavours, Waubgeshig is an eclectic public speaker, delivering keynote addresses and workshops, engaging in interviews, and contributing to various panels at literary festivals and conferences.

He speaks on creative writing and oral storytelling, contemporary Anishinaabe culture and matters, Indigenous representation in arts and media, and more.

He lives in Sudbury, Ontario with his wife and three sons.

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark shares reflections on his 2024 sales, as well as a bit of a rant about people sharing their 2024 sales without disclaimers about how much they spent, or the other costs involved in achieving those sales.

This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie.

Links of Interest:

• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
  • How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds
• Mark's YouTube channel
• Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
• An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
• The Relaxed Author
  • Buy eBook Direct
  • Buy Audiobook Direct
• Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
• An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
• Wide for the Win
• Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
  • This Time Around (Short Story)
  • A Canadian Werewolf in New York
  • Stowe Away (Novella)
  • Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
  • Fright Nights, Big City
  • Lover's Moon
  • Hex and the City
  • Only Monsters in the Building
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
• Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews author and former Playboy Playmate Charlotte Kemp about her book CENTERFOLDS.

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

This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place Feb 6 through 9, 2025 in Colorado Springs, CO.

Use code: MARK1592 to get $100 off your registration.

In the interview Mark and Charlotte talk about:

• Charlotte adjusting her last name Helmkamp into Charlotte Kemp when she first began modeling
• Being Playmate of the month December 1982 and the cover model for the October 1983 issue of Playboy
• Interviewing about 40 women in order to get the 20 stories that she included in the book
• Being blocked from publishing her book when she'd first started by Hugh Hefner
• Using the title "Centerfolds" for her book because she wasn't able to use the term "Playmate" as the trademark is owned by Playboy
• How Charlotte decided which of the stories ended up making it into the book
• The backstory of how Charlotte became Playmate of the Month at the age of 19
• Charlotte's self-appointed bodyguard, Lance, who sat outside the Green Room and kept her safe from any men looking to take advantage of an innocent younger "girl next door"
• How the payment works for Playboy models, which is pay for the first photo shoot but no residuals for re-use of those photos in other issues
• Learning how to read when she was two years old and the voracious reading she's been doing since she was young
• What Charlotte is reading now
• The type of short stories that Charlotte likes to write
• Charlotte being the first Playmate to ever have a license from Playboy for the running team that she created
• The Playmates with a Purpose running group fund-raising and brand-raising Charlotte was passionate about
• Charlotte's experience with the Playboy brand in Japan and how the associated merchandise was all high end
• How more women have found their voices in recent times and own more of their own properties instead of letting men control them
• Prince's role in taking back his name, and helping female artists with similar strategies, being a strong champion of women
• Stories from the book such as one from Cynthia Myers and how she narrowly evaded a fateful event with Charles Manson
• Charlotte's strong feelings about ensuring she preserved the voices of the people she interviewed for Centerfolds
• How the women Charlotte interviewed were able to open up and share their experiences
• The way that a person could feel "owned" by Playboy
• The short story collection that Charlotte is working on releasing
• Charlotte's Howard Cosell story
• And more...

After the interview, Mark reflects on his own history as a Playboy magazine reader and writer, as well as a few things Charlotte shared in the interview.

Links of Interest:

• Charlotte's Website
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
• EP 391 - Networking for Authors with Dale L. Roberts
• Mark's YouTube channel
• Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
  • How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds
• Apollo Cinema Christmas Vacation Event (Kitchener, ON - Dec 12, 2024)
• Sudbury Indie Cinema / Northern Lights Festival Boreal Christmas Vacation Event (Sudbury, ON - Dec 21, 2024)
• An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
• The Relaxed Author
  • Buy eBook Direct
  • Buy Audiobook Direct
• Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
• An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
• Wide for the Win
• Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
  • This Time Around (Short Story)
  • A Canadian Werewolf in New York
  • Stowe Away (Novella)
  • Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
  • Fright Nights, Big City
  • Lover's Moon
  • Hex and the City
  • Only Monsters in the Building
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
• Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Charlotte Kemp was Playboy's "Miss December 1982" and Playboy's cover model in October 1983. She also appeared in many ads and calendar photos for Playboy. She was the first Playmate ever given a license for "The Playboy Running Team" in 1993 and had ten Playmates on the team who successfully raised money for many charities. Her first book was For My Eyes Only, which includes poetry, prose and short stories. During her working years with Playboy, she was the first to hold the titles of "Miss Budweiser" and "The Best Breasts in the USA." She has starred and appeared in several commercials and movies, including a top 25 B-Horror film of all time, Frankenhooker. She has appeared on Inside Edition, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and many radio shows all over the country. She has appeared in fourteen foreign editions of Playboy and lived for a time at the Playboy Mansion.

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews author Jody Swannell about her writing and the book ajacent activities and strategies she has employed.

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

This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place Feb 6 through 9, 2025 in Colorado Springs, CO.

Use code: MARK1592 to get $100 off your registration.

In the interview Mark and Jody talk about:

• How Jody got started in writing about 20/30 years ago
• Spending at least an hour a week at Chapters big box bookstores back in the day, with dreams of wanting to write a book
• The way that the recent pandemic inspired a lot of people to actually take a shot at some of the things they'd wanted to do for a long time
• The two novels and one novella that Jody has released in the past 3 years
• Jody's interest and writing about Tarot card reading
• Selling books in person at the local markets and how Jody was inspired by seeing local author Richard Stephens there
• Jody's role as a host of a local community radio program (Readers Delight) on CKMS 102.7 FM - Radio Waterloo
• The software and equipment that Jody had to learn how to use in order to host the show as well as the license that needed to be purchased
• The additional work and stress that hosting this show took on Jody
• Some of the things that guests did which made life so challenging for Jody as the host
• The way this show helped Jody connect with so many other local writers
• What creative/writing projects Jody is working on lately
• The success that Jody saw at a recent event (Frightmare in the Falls) by having book-adjacent products.
• Pivoting from Jody Swannell Author/Books to Jody Swannell Bookery
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on a few of the ingenius strategies Jody has used to connect with other writers, to learn more, and to grow her author brand, the importance of giving something up when it's not working/causing too much stress, and things NOT to do when you're a guest on a podcast or radio program.

Links of Interest:

• Jody's LinkTree
  • Swannell Bookery
  • Instagram
• Mark's YouTube channel
• Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
  • How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds
• Apollo Cinema Christmas Vacation Event (Kitchener, ON - Dec 12, 2024)
• Sudbury Indie Cinema / Northern Lights Festival Boreal Christmas Vacation Event (Sudbury, ON - Dec 21, 2024)
• An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
• The Relaxed Author
  • Buy eBook Direct
  • Buy Audiobook Direct
• Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
• An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
• Wide for the Win
• Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
  • This Time Around (Short Story)
  • A Canadian Werewolf in New York
  • Stowe Away (Novella)
  • Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
  • Fright Nights, Big City
  • Lover's Moon
  • Hex and the City
  • Only Monsters in the Building
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
• Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Jody Swannell is an author from the beautiful Region of Waterloo. Her love of adventure has taken her on incredible trips, such as visiting castles in Scotland, shopping in the West Edmonton Mall, snorkelling in Jamaica, and photographing glaciers during an Alaskan cruise.

Her goal is to keep readers eagerly turning pages while trying to guess what happens next—occasionally adding a splash of romance here and there to spice things up a bit. She loves writing contemporary fiction in thriller, mystery occult, sci-fi and horror genres.

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews Emma Dhesi, a bestselling author and certified book coach who educates and inspires first-time authors to fulfil a calling and write their debut novel.

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

This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie.

New content for patrons has dropped here.

In the interview, Mark and Emma talk about:

• How Emma got started in writing as a child at school
• The waves of how that "itch" to write kept coming to Emma every 6 months or so
• The feeling of writing that first draft and the effective challenge it was for her
• Emma's first book THE DAY SHE CAME HOME and how it began as an exploration of post-partum depression
• The concept of how engaging in the creative life can provide that balance we need
• How it can look different depending on where on the creative journey we are, but the similarities
• The importance of trying new things, but then recognizing when it's not the right thing for us at that time in our journey
• Emma's decision to become an author coach and to help other writers like her
• The first book being important "evidence" that you can do it
• The value of even a little bit of positive encouragement
• Emma's focus on a VERY SPECIFIC demographic instead of trying to create a service to please everyone
• What Emma is working on now in her writing and in her coaching
• The online summit Emma is hosting in January 2025 (Be A Bestseller 6.0 - Back to Basics)
• And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on the intrinsic satisfaction of completely that first novel, the importance of proving to yourself that you CAN do it, of trying new things (but being able to stop if that new thing is not for you), and the value of focusing in on a target audience.

Links of Interest:

• Emma Dhesi's Website
  • Emma's YouTube Channel
• EP 336 - Coming Out of the Writer Closet With Bradley Charbonneau
• Mark's YouTube channel
• Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
  • How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds
• Apollo Cinema Christmas Vacation Event (Kitchener, ON - Dec 12, 2024)
• Sudbury Indie Cinema / Northern Lights Festival Boreal Christmas Vacation Event (Sudbury, ON - Dec 21, 2024)
• An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
• The Relaxed Author
  • Buy eBook Direct
  • Buy Audiobook Direct
• Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
• An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
• Wide for the Win
• Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
  • This Time Around (Short Story)
  • A Canadian Werewolf in New York
  • Stowe Away (Novella)
  • Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
  • Fright Nights, Big City
  • Lover's Moon
  • Hex and the City
  • Only Monsters in the Building
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
• Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Emma Dhesi, bestselling author and certified book coach, educates and inspires first-time authors to fulfil a calling and write their debut novel.

Drawing from her own success and training, Emma guides writers to finish their first book through detailed feedback, accountability check-ins, and compassionate support in her year-long 1:1 mentorship.

Emma lives in Edinburgh with her husband, three children, three cats, and is passionate about helping authors achieve their dreams through her individualised mentoring.

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews Dale L. Roberts about his new book NETWORKING FOR AUTHORS.

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

This episode is sponsored by Mark's book AN AUTHOR'S GUIDE TO WORKING WITH LIBRARIES AND BOOKSTORES.

You can get the book for 50% direct from Mark from now until Jan 2024 using coupon code STARK2024 at checkout. Patrons will get access to a 75% off coupon for that book and a wider range of titles from Mark's direct sale store.

In their interview Mark and Dale talk about:

• How long it has been since Dale has been on the Stark Reflections podcast. (Episode 96 - Sept 2019)
• Dale's first big breakthrough in the indie author space and how that led to him pivoting to becoming a YouTube content creator
• Dale's passion for helping showing other authors things related to the business of writing and publishing
• Their mutual passion for Rush
• How the word networking can be thought of as a "dirty" word
• Dale's unique approach to networking as an introverted person, by looking at it like a good movie or some other product that he enjoys and wanting to share that "thing" with someone else. IE, "This is super cool. You should know about this" translated into "This person is super cool. You should know them."
• Having a pool of like-minded business professionals
• An example of a solid and long-lasting bond Dale helped two people forge and the satisfaction that comes from that
• How this type of work connecting people is a "let me feed my soul" type of thing
• The way that some in person events can be extremely overwhelming for Dale and how he deals with it
• Dale's YouTube platform being up to 1700 videos
• How it's not about the number of times you fall down, it's the number of times you get back up
• The advice Dale received from Nick Thacker whenever he's being too hard on himself and picking apart something he has done
• The importance of at least showing up as a good starting step
• How S.D. Huston is so good at what she does at connecting with people and making opportunities and the way she shows up in so many different places
• Some of the things that authors can get wrong when they are networking
• The importance of asking questions when you're networking not just because it makes you seem more interesting, but it also helps you to uncover more things, some of which you might have in common
• How you should not try to rush relationships
• Remember that authors are a rare breed (particularly when you're in non-writer circles)
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on a couple of things that Dale talked about.

Links of Interest:

• Self Publishing with Dale
• Dale L. Roberts YouTube
  • Dale's Books
• EP 096 - Focusing on And Delivering to Your Audience with Dale L. Roberts
• EP 390 - Author Accounting Made Simple with D.F. Hart
• Don Rickles
• Mark's YouTube channel
• Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
  • How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds
• An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
• The Relaxed Author
  • Buy eBook Direct
  • Buy Audiobook Direct
• Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
• An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
• Wide for the Win
• Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
  • This Time Around (Short Story)
  • A Canadian Werewolf in New York
  • Stowe Away (Novella)
  • Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
  • Fright Nights, Big City
  • Lover's Moon
  • Hex and the City
  • Only Monsters in the Building
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
• Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Dale L. Roberts is a self-publishing advocate, award-winning author, and renowned video creator. With over 50 publications, he has become an authority in self-publishing, leading him to create his own YouTube channel, Self-Publishing with Dale, regarded as one of the premier information resources in the indie publishing community. Dale lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife Kelli and two rescue cats, Auggie and Allie.

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews author D.F. Hart about 2 of Harts Business Services, a company she founded with her sister by empowering indie authors and small businesses through bookkeeping services that not only track the 'in and out' but also provide tailored product analysis reporting to assist authors in growing their business.

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

This episode is sponsored by the 2024 Novel Writing Storybundle - Only available until the end of November 2024.

In the interview, Mark and DeAnna talk about

• How long it has been since D.F. Hart and Mark co-authored a book (Accounting for Authors) in March 2022
• The work she has done as an accountant which started with Wide for the Win, an indie author, and a local newspaper back in April 2022
• Walking away from her full-time day job in July of 2024 in order to have the time to support the growing roster of clients she works with
• The various specific things that she is tracking for her author clients every month
• How book-keeping firms from outside the book industry might not effectively classify sales by the unique formats and categories, which can help authors track trends
• Never asking for platform login information out of respect for the confidentiality and privacy of their clients
• The benefit of having a balance sheet and a profit and loss statement that makes it easier for a CPA to get their taxes done more efficiently
• How there is a difference between an MBA and a CAP - ie, that the services DeAnna offers do not include taxes
• DeAnna's recommended 30/30/40 split rule for managing income
• The importance of trying to figure out what your own time is worth when you're determining which tasks you'll be doing yourself and which tasks you'll hand over to others
• The initial consultant DeAnna will do with a potential client who is interested in leveraging the 2 of Harts Accounting services
• How DeAnna and her co-owner/founder sister have a combined 47 years of accounting experience between them
• The impact that running this full time service for authors has had on DeAnna's own writing
• And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on the payment cycles for authors and then also talks about a special virtual workshop that DeAnna will be running for his patrons.

Links of Interest:

• 2 of Harts Business Services
• Accounting for Authors (Book)
• Wide for the Win: Getting The Most Out of In Person Conferences
• Authors Giving Thanks: A Self-Publishing Insiders Thanksgiving
• Writer Beware
• Storybundle.com/writing
• EP 155 - Rebel Reflections with Guest Host Sacha Black
• EP 133 - Anatomy of a Rebel with Sacha Black
• EP 387- Rambling Reflections From The Disappointing Aftermath
• EP 389 - "Now You've Gone" with Cathy Rankin & Ken K. Mary
• One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years
  • Books2Read Link
• Shop Local (Canadian Indie Bookstore Lookup)
• Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
  • How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds
• An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
• The Relaxed Author
  • Buy eBook Direct
  • Buy Audiobook Direct
• Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
• An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
• Wide for the Win
• Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
  • This Time Around (Short Story)
  • A Canadian Werewolf in New York
  • Stowe Away (Novella)
  • Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
  • Fright Nights, Big City
  • Lover's Moon
  • Hex and the City
  • Only Monsters in the Building
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

DeAnna Hart is an Accounting veteran with over twenty-seven years' experience and a deep background in multiple industries including manufacturing, wholesale distribution, commercial construction, higher education, rotorcraft services, and industrial equipment sales and rental.

She's done it all, from full cycle Accounts Payable all the way up to preparing monthly financial statements and everything in between.

DeAnna holds a Masters of Business Administration with Accounting concentration.

She's also a fellow indie author! Her pen name is D.F. Hart, and with nineteen titles and counting under her belt – including Accounting for Authors – she understands the nuances and challenges specific to self-publishing that indie authors face.

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