Mark interviews Valerie Francis and Melanie Hill of the Story Nerd Podcast. The Story Nerd Podcast demystifies story theory so writers spend less time studying and more time writing. Literary editors and writers, Valerie Francis and Melanie Hill, analyze a film a week as an example of a storytelling principle.

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

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

In their conversation, Mark, Valerie, and Melanie talk about:

• How long it took for the three of them to coordinate the interview (2 months) and a bit of banter about time zones and Melanie being so further in the "future" than Valerie and Mark
• Mark's nerding out on how the Y2K bug wasn't solved, it was just pushed back to 2050
• Mal's background as a poet and her passion for writing poetry and how much passion could be conveyed in such a "small" piece
• Loving poetry that has artwork or imagery with it
• The real art that is involved in writing books that engage children
• The point at which Valerie's day job got on her nerves enough and how she'd always enjoyed being creative via music and writing
• Keeping track of how many words Valerie had written for and discarded from her novel Immortal
• How Valerie and Melanie met
• Applying story theory to their own manuscripts
• Being an extrovert in an introvert's job
• Learning something new with every single episode they produce
• Doing things that are a bit fearful so that you can grow and improve
• How their "hourly" recording session usually takes 3 hours because they're having so much fun and such insightful story discussion
• It doesn't matter what genre one writes in, one can learn from reading all genres
• How the concepts that they talk about on the podcast that relate to film can be applied to novel writing, because the story structure elements are all the same
• Comparing walking, running, and running a marathon to the various steps on the writer journey
• The way the podcast is broken down into seasons and the themes they are exploring
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on how Valerie and Melanie make story theory so easy by providing clear examples in a way that's easy and fun to digest, and recommends listeners go check out an episode or two starting with movies they're familiar with.

Links of Interest:

• Story Nerd Podcast
• EP 213 - Putting Story Theory Into Practice with Valerie Francis
• EP 104 - Living the Writing & Editing Life with Valerie Francis
• EP 270 - Reflections from the NINC 2022 Conference
• EP 269 - Dreaming a Writer's Dream Straight on Until Morning with Gama Ray Martinez
• EP 268 - Neurodivergence and the Creative Process with October K. Santerelli
• EP 266 - "Let's Talk Dialogue with Jeff Elkins," He Said Reflectively
• EP 263 - Terry Brooks and Susanna Kearsley When Words Collide Keynotes
• The Official LOVER'S MOON Spotify Playlist
• Lover's Moon Podcast (Spotify)
• Thrifty Tips for Authors (Facebook Group)
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
• Best Book Ever Podcast
• Lovers Moon Podcast
• 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
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles

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 

This year's NINC (Novelist's Inc) Conference was themed "Work Smarter." Mark shares reflections based on the notes he took when at NINC the previous week (Sept 19 thru 25).

Prior to the main segment, Mark shares an extremely brief personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

Links of Interest:

• NINC
  • NINC Author Membership Requirements
  • About the NINC Conference
• EP 28 - Reflections on the Power of Moments
• The Official LOVER'S MOON Spotify Playlist
• Lover's Moon Podcast (Spotify)
• Thrifty Tips for Authors (Facebook Group)
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
• Best Book Ever Podcast
• Lovers Moon Podcast
• 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
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles

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 Gama Ray Martinez about his recent novel GOD OF NEVERLAND, his writing life, and more.

Prior to the main segment, Mark shares an extremely brief personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

During their conversation Mark and Gama talk about:

• How Mark and Gama normally only see one another once per year at Superstars Writing Seminars in Colorado in Feb each year
• Gama always wanting to be a writer, and in school turning in stories instead of descriptive essays
• The first story that Gama sold, which won 2nd place in a David Farland anthology
• Taking several of David Farland's workshops
• Writing a "purple unicorn" story involving a potato based on a parody cover James A. Owen had crafted
• The background of the "purple unicorn" story
• Value that can come, both professionally and personally, from attending in person conferences like Superstars Writing Seminars
• The inspiration for writing God of Neverland which came from the epilogue of the original story of Peter Pan
• Embracing both traditional publishing and indie publishing
• Having support from both family and close friends
• The audiobook version, which took home an audio award
• The forthcoming sequel, Queens of Wonderland, which ties in to the classic Lewis Carroll book
• The GamaVerse of this series and how it will connect even more classic texts
• Writing with something on the TV in the background, but it having to be something that he has seen countless times
• Advice Gama would offer to other writers and beginning writers
• How Gama shoots for one plot point per 1000 words when greating a rough outline for a writing project
• Gama's goal to do a half-marathon in every state, and the Disney marathons he has participated in
• The feeling of walking into a bookstore such as Barnes and Noble and seeing your books on display
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the years of hard work and investment Gama put into his writing to get to where he is today and the important of getting that first draft DONE.

Links of Interest:

• Gama Ray Martinez Website
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
• Best Book Ever Podcast
• Lovers Moon Podcast
• 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
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Gama Ray Martinez lives near Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife and kids. He moved there solely because he likes mountains. He collects weapons in case he ever needs to supply a medieval battalion, and he greatly resents when work or other real-life things get in the way of writing. He secretly hopes to one day slay a dragon in single combat and doesn’t believe in letting pesky little things like reality stand in the way of dreams.

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 October K. Santerelli about neurodivergence as it relates to the writing life.

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

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

During their conversation Mark and October talk about:

• October's start with writing during a 7th Grade poetry unit project receiving an A+
• Dedicating his first book to that teacher who was so inspiring and supportive
• Getting a publishing deal offer at the age of sixteen
• Doing a lot of fantasy writing (that got finished) as well as Queer fiction (that never got finished)- Loving the act of "spite writing"
• The terms of Neurotypical, Neurodivergent, and their understanding within the writer's life
• How ADHD and Autism spectrum can have really powerful effects on your writing career
• The way that many of the "rules" for writers don't align with a brain that isn't neurotypical
• Giving a general guideline on how something might feel - ie, the results rather than the strict processes
• October creating mini "celebrations" to accompany completely particular small victories
• Showing how he re-frames some of the standard bits of advice that work well for him
• The useful and valuable tool of doing writing sprints and how it creates a short and very immediate deadline
• And more...

After the interview Mark shares a few reflections and reminds authors that not all "how to" and recommended processes are a "fit all" option. Adaptation into one's own manners and systems is important.

Links of Interest:

• October K. Santerelli Website
• October on TikTok
• October's Course on Neurodiversity for Creatives
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
• Best Book Ever Podcast
• Lovers Moon Podcast
• 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
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles

October K Santerelli is a fantasy author from the mountains of Denver, Colorado, USA. He is an LGBTQ+ writer and sensitivity reader, as well as a public speaker on disability, neurodivergency, and Own Voices writing in the publishing industry.

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 Rebecca Eckler, journalist, bestselling author and the founder of RE: Books.

Prior to the main segment, Mark shares a personal update, reads listener comments, and announces the patron winner of the Dialogue Doctor Masterclass

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

During their conversation Mark and Rebecca talk about about:

• The concept of retirement when it relates to writing
• Feeling "done" after publishing 10 books with the big publishing houses
• The concept of helping younger aspiring female authors
• Haters being a person's best motivator
• While Rebecca believes that publishing needs a makeover
• Spending an afternoon outside a bookstore in order to better understand why people purchased the books they picked up that day
• The pathetically low average advances that are being offered by publishers and how Rebecca is using a different model
• The features that Rebecca includes on her blog/newsletter
• Rebecca's focus on wanting to help prop up Canadian female authors
• Hosting the annual #writeaway summer contest
• How most traditional publishers do all the work preparing a book but only publicize a handful of their books
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on Rebecca's focus on readers and propping up Canadian female authors, and the fixin' that is needed in the publishing industry.

Links of Interest:

• Rebecca's Website
• Rebecca - Facebook
• Rebecca - Twitter
• The Dialogue Doctor
  • Sept 10, 2022 - Dialogue MasterClass
• EP 266 - "Let's Talk Dialogue With Jeff Elkins," He Said Reflectively
• EP 262 - Rambling Hometown Reflections
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Sell More Books Show - EP 439 (Mark as guest co-host)
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
• Best Book Ever Podcast
• Lovers Moon Podcast
• 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
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles

In addition to being one of Canada’s most well-known journalists, Rebecca Eckler is an international bestselling author. She’s penned 10 books, including the famous Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother-to-Be, Wiped! Life with a Pint-Sized Dictator, Toddlers Gone Wild, How to Raise a Boyfriend, Mommy Mob, and her most recent success, Blissfully Blended Bullsh*t.

Eckler lives in Toronto with her two kids: Rowan and Holt. When she’s not writing or working on re:books, you can find her sharing her brutally honest opinions on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

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 has a conversation with Jeff Elkins, The Dialogue Doctor.

Prior to the main segment, Mark explains his goof-up that led to releasing this particular episode and then shares a few words about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

During their conversation Mark and Jeff speak, chat, discuss, converse, reflect, consider, chew on, and talk about about:

• How a book that is 160 K can read like it's so much shorter because it's 95% dialogue
• Remembering that dialogue is just another tool that we, as writers can use - and how can it help impact the emotional resonance of your story
• The distance skyline of NYC versus the details of a narrow street as a parallel for two types of writing (prose and dialogue)
• The energy-building dialogue of Aaron Sorkin in shows like The West Wing
• Dialogue in action scenes
• The love/hate relationship writers can have with dialogue tags
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on one of the things he is going to try in his own writing to help improve his dialogue.

Links of Interest:

• Jeff Elkins' Website
• The Dialogue Doctor
  • Sept 10, 2022 - Dialogue MasterClass
• Draft2Digital LIVE (Self-Publishing Insiders) - Sept 1, 2022 - The Dialogue Doctor with Jeff Elkins (FULL INTERVIEW)
• Episode 157 - A Conversation with Jeff Elkins, The Dialogue Doctor
• Episode 172 - Understanding and Navigating Gender
• Episode 226 - Reflective Round Table December 2021
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
• Best Book Ever Podcast
• Lovers Moon Podcast
• 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
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Jeff Elkins writes stories about outsiders who fight for outcasts, rejects, and the oppressed. He is the author of more than ten novels, a Certified Three Story Method Editor, and the host of the Dialogue Doctor podcast. During the day, he leads the writing team for a training company that simulates difficult conversations. He lives north of Baltimore, Maryland with his wife of twenty-years and his five kids.

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

Mark has a chat with Elizabeth Ann West and Randall Wood.

Elizabeth Ann West is not only the public face of ScribeCount but is also an author whose books have hit the bestseller lists on all major vendors, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, Google Play, and Kobo.

Randall Wood is the author of the bestselling Jack Randall thrillers and co-founder of ScribeCount a platform with the desire to be the preeminent author service platform, offering services every author needs.

Prior to the main segment, Mark shares recent comments, a personal update, and a few words about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

During their conversation Mark, Elizabeth and Randall talk about:

• Elizabeth's new role at Scribecount
• Why Elizabeth goes to conferences with two notebooks
• The origin of ScribeCount in the back of a room and on cocktail napkins at NINC (Novelist's Inc) in Florida
• Randall and Elizabeth's background as writers
• The decision Randall made related to signing a deal with Tor versus indie publishing
• Elizabeth's earliest entrepreneur activities which involved killing her mother's rubber tree plant at the age of eight
• The thrill of landing on writing "Jane Austin fan fiction" style historical romance
• Why Elizabeth sells her eBooks at $9.99
• An overview of what ScribeCount is and how it helps authors understand their sales data from numerous sources
• The complications that come with understanding advertising and marketing expenditures related to sales campaign
• The difference of earnings in a month (live reporting) versus payments in a month (usually delayed 30 to 90 days)
• "Get off the spreadsheet, get on the Sunburst!"
• How ScribeCount is free to use until an author earns more than $999/month
• Launching Ingram Spark into the platform (which did happen roughly half way through August 2022)
• The very clear privacy policy that ScribeCount has, preserving data for ONLY each author account - it is never merged with other data
• The learning library that Elizabeth is working on to help mid-list authors learn how to leverage the data and the tools ScribeCount has
• Some of the conferences that Elizabeth and Randall will be at over the next little while
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the author-centric nature of ScribeCount and why that is so important. He also shares his thoughts on Elizabeth's $9.99 price point for her novels.

Links of Interest:

• ScribeCount (Mark's affiliate link)
• Elizabeth Ann West
• Randal Wood
• EP 263 - Terry Brooks & Susanna Kearsley - WWC Keynotes Part 1
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
• Best Book Ever Podcast
• Lovers Moon Podcast
• 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
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles

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 the keynotes given by Hank Phillippi Ryan and Edward Willett from an event he hosted on August 12, 2022 for the virtual When Words Collide 2022 annual conference.

Prior to the main segment, Mark shares a few words about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

• Hank Phillippi Ryan shares discusses ten things that she learned during the pandemic that she realized she already knew

• Edward Willett shares his life-long dream of being a writer, the circuitous journey and the multiple unexpected stops along the way

The full video of these keynotes, as well as the ones by Terry Brooks and Susanna Kearsley (plus the conversation and Q&A that followed the talks) can be found here on YouTube.

Links of Interest:

• When Words Collide
  • Hank Phillippi Ryan
  • Edward Willett
  • YouTube Video of FULL Keynote Talks
• EP 262 - Rambling Hometown Reflections
• EP 263 - Terry Brooks & Susanna Kearsley - WWC Keynotes Part 1
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
• Best Book Ever Podcast
• Lovers Moon Podcast
• 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
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles

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 the keynotes given by Terry Brooks and Susanna Kearsley from an event he hosted on August 12, 2022 for the virtual When Words Collide 2022 annual conference.

Prior to the main segment, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, welcomes a new patron and then says a word about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

• Terry Brooks talks about a topic he hates to answer or discuss: "Where do you get your ideas?" and explains why

• Susanna Kearsley explores the concept of an author's supposedly "solitary" life that may actually be filled with relationships.

The full video of these keynotes, as well as the ones by Hank Phillippi Ryan and Edward Willett (plus the conversation and Q&A that followed the talks) can be found here on YouTube.

Links of Interest:

• When Words Collide
  • Terry Brooks
  • Susanna Kearsley
  • YouTube Video of FULL Keynote Talks
• EP 262 - Rambling Hometown Reflections
• The Fantastic Comic Fan Podcast EP 57 - Author Mark Leslie
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
• Best Book Ever Podcast
• Lovers Moon Podcast
• 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
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles

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 

In this solo episode Mark reflects on a few things related to the regular returns back to his hometown of Levack, Ontario, and how those things have influenced his writing life.

Prior to the main segment, Mark shares an extremely brief personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

Links of Interest:

• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
• Best Book Ever Podcast
• Lovers Moon Podcast
• 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
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles

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