Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews Michael La Ronn, the author of over 80 science fiction & fantasy books and self-help books for writers.

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

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

During their conversation, Mark and Michael talk about:

• How long it has been since Mark and Michael saw one another
• Michael getting back on the travel circuit and being one of the guest speakers for Superstars Writing Seminars in Feb 2023
• How Michael got extremely ill in 2012 with an extreme case of food poisoning combined with a hospital infection he acquired, and how that laid him up for a full month
• Taking the time to realize, while he was stuck in the hospital how he'd been working in a dead-end job and not being the writer he wanted to be
• Having a beautiful vision of being a successful published writer, and the feeling of happiness that came from that
• Learning about self-publishing from the Alliance of Independent Authors and The Creative Penn
• The more than 80 books Michael has written while working full-time, raising a family, and going to law school at night
• The "secret weapons" that Michael relies on for his writing goals
• Writing using Scrivener on the MAC and the Scrivener app on his iPhone as well as using dictation
• Getting writing done using dictation while walking the dog
• Being a pantser (or "discovery writer")
• Michael's writer manifesto
• The different pseudonyms Michael uses for fiction VS his books for writers
• Michael's role as ALLI's outreach manager
• The two estate planning books Michael has. One for writers and the other for a writer's heirs
• Loving his day job and not wanting to give it up despite how successful and prolific his writing career has been
• The enjoyment of challenging himself
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the prioritizing of finding every available small moment for getting just a few extra words in and how that all adds up. He also considers Michael's thoughts on "balance."

Links of Interest:

• Michael's Author Website
• Author Level Up
• Findaway Voices
• 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

Michael La Ronn is the author of over 80 science fiction & fantasy books and self-help books for writers. He writes from the great plains of Iowa and has managed to write while raising a family, working a full-time job, and even attending law school classes in the evenings. You can find his fiction at www.michaellaronn.com and his videos and books for writers at www.authorlevelup.com.

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 Danielle Kaplan about her new book I Married a Thrill-Seeker.

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

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

During their conversation, Mark and Danielle talk about:

• Danielle's background before she decided to write her new book
• The irony of doing a thesis in brain-injury, with most of them involving motorcycle accidents
• How Danielle, who was considered a moderate who "followed the rules" first met her "wild and crazy" husband Steve back in university
• Moving to Toronto, Canada to start her life with him and continuing her career in the medical field
• Having written for medical publications prior to this first book
• Steve's life as an adventure rider on his Harley Davidson motorcycle when on a trip in the Yukon
• Keeping all her correspondence and personal journals during the tragic events following her husband's accident
• Showing the original manuscript to a good friend who is a script/screen-play writer who asked her if this was going to be a personal document for her family, or for public consumption and how that question changed everything
• The dramatic lows and highs that Steve went through since the accident
• The various audiences that the book is likely to appeal to
• Where Danielle found support through this entire journey
• Working with Rebecca at re:books on the release of the book in Nov 2022
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on how Danielle was able to use all the details she recorded and stored, not because she was going to write a book about it, but for other reasons.

Links of Interest:

• Danielle's Book on Amazon
• EP 267 - Why Publishing Needs a Makeover with Rebecca Eckler
• Findaway Voices
• 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

Danielle Kaplan is a speech-language pathologist and movement specialist. She grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa and holds a master's degree in Speech Pathology.

She and her husband Steve emigrated to Canada, where she spent twenty years working in acute teaching hospitals, in Neurology, Neurosurgery, and spinal injury.

Danielle gained a certification in Pilates and then went on to train further in movement while achieving her Personal Training certification (CanfitPro), Ballet Barre for fitness training and then received her Rehab Exercise Specialization Certification.

The mother of two, she lives with her husband Steve and their two fur babies in Toronto, Ontario. I Married A Thrill-Seeker is her first book.

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 several authors from the ASK THE AUTHORS 2022 book edited by Kaye Booth.

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

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

Links of Interest:

• The Writers Career Toolkit StoryBundle
• Writer Beware
• Findaway Voices
• 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 Diann Floyd Boehm, an award-winning author of children's books who writes stories to inspire readers to be kind, like themselves, and Embrace Imagination!

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

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

During their conversation, Mark and Diann talk about:

• How Diane started off as a teacher - from 4 year olds all the way up to 8th grade
• Becoming one of the self-taught tech-knowledgable teachers in the system early on, falling in love with computers, and realizing how much she could help students
• Enjoying and preferring writing long-hand despite being comfortable with and adept at using a computer
• The process of developing and writing children's books and the parallel inspiration for both children and adults that can exist within them
• The beauty of what can happen when people open their minds, expand their horizons and learn and work together
• The power of stories in sharing ideas and preventing people from putting up walls
• The hybrid publisher (OC Publishing) that Diane uses
• Diane's new book CHARLIE AND THE TIRE SWING
• Recognizing that we're all storytellers, even if we've never written anything, and exercises Diane likes to share to help people realize this
• The online story garden that Diane created on YouTube, creating safe, clean-cut and wholesome stories for families
• What Diann wish she'd known when she first started out
• Diann's publicist, Mickey Mikkelson of The Creative Edge
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the innate creativity we all have, and then talks in detail about the idea of "hybrid" publishing companies, and his default suspicion about them. He then goes to explain why OC Publishing is a legitimate business with very transparent and clear business practices and why a company like that which is honest and demonstrates integrity might be a good fit for some authors.

Links of Interest:

• Diann Floyd Boehm's Website
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
• Diann's Story Garden
• OC Publishing
• Writer Beware
• Findaway Voices
• 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

Diann Floyd Boehm is an award-winning international author of children's books and has published a young adult historical fiction. In addition, Diann writes books to inspire readers to be kind, like themselves, and Embrace Imagination! You can find all her books on Amazon.

Diann's Story Garden YouTube Channel lets children hear different children's authors read their stories.

Diann continues to be involved in various humanitarian projects with multiple organizations.

Diann was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to the parents of George M. Floyd and Mabel Adella Harris Floyd. She moved to Texas at about 18 months and her two brothers. Over time the Floyd family grew, and Diann had five brothers, Chris, Danny, Mike, Larry, and Bryan. Diann is a wife and mother of three grown children and one grandson. She has traveled extensively to many parts of the world and has lived in the Philippines and Dubai. She and her husband now reside in Austin, Texas.

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 Samantha M. Bailey, the author of WOMAN ON THE EDGE, a USA TODAY and #1 national bestseller, and WATCH OUT FOR HER, an instant #1 national bestseller about her twenty-year writing journey.

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

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

During their conversation, Mark and Samantha talk about:

• How long Mark and Samantha have known one another and how long it has been since they've chatted, and Samantha's previous guest spot on this podcast
• Samantha's latest thriller WATCH OUT FOR HER and the 13 weeks it spent on the Globe and Mail bestseller list in Canada
• The book's presence on numerous indie and chain bookstores as well as non-bookstore locations across Canada including Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart, and Costco, where it was a buyer's pick
• How everyone in the retail space was so good to Samantha
• The twenty years Samantha worked at writing before this huge wave of success
• Her previous book (Woman on the Edge) being released just prior to the pandemic starting
• Samantha's rock star agent, Jenny Bent of The Bent Agency and how Samantha found her twenty years earlier
• Nita Prose, author of The Maid, a New York Times bestseller, who is the editor of both Samantha's novels
• Getting her first rejection for a story that she wrote and submitted to a publisher at the age of ten
• Being able to wallpaper her house with the amount of rejections she has received for her books over the years
• Why Samantha never gave up after collecting enough rejection slips to wallpaper her entire neighborhood
• The common "yellow raincoat" motif that appears on both of her books despite them being stand-alone novels completely unrelated by anything except the genre and the author
• Why Samantha loves the concept of an unreliable narrator
• How, when reading a thriller, Samantha never trusts anyone at all, ever
• The two performers who read the audiobook version of WATCH OUT FOR HER
• Being a very visual person, particularly as a reader
• What Samantha tries to do with every book she writes, and a little bit about the book she is working on now
• Advice Samantha would have given to her younger self
• The various genres and types of book she has loved reading and writing over the years
• Taking all the risks in writing while taking very few risks in life
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the concept of unreliable narrators and the idea of letting fear hold you back.

Links of Interest:

• Samantha M. Bailey Website
  • Woman on the Edge
  • Watch out for Her
• EP 107 - Samantha M. Bailey, Woman on the Edge
• Sarah Sampino Interview (via Draft2Digital)
• The Bent Agency (Sam's Agent Jenny Bent)
• Findaway Voices
• 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

Samantha M. Bailey is the author of WOMAN ON THE EDGE, a USA TODAY and #1 national bestseller; her second novel, WATCH OUT FOR HER, was an instant #1 national bestseller. Her books have sold in eleven countries to date. Samantha is a journalist and freelance editor; her writing has appeared in NOW MAGAZINE, THE VILLAGE POST, THE THRILL BEGINS, and THE CRIME HUB, among other publications. She lives in Toronto, where she can usually be found tapping away at her computer or curled up on her couch with a book.

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 Michelle Oucharek-Deo, a writer, speaker and art therapist about her fiction writing journey, creative therapy, and her time management philosophy of the 42 Minute Hour.

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

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

During their conversation, Mark and Michelle talk about:

• How Michelle became an art therapist 28 years ago, working with people from 3 to 103 years old
• Using art and the process of art-making as a process for healing
• A memory from Grade One involving being in the library and dreaming of one day being a writer
• Being a creative writing major in university and how that didn't align with Michelle's vision
• Sitting down to do some writing in her mid-30s and then again in her 40s; then diving in to engage in fiction writing
• Michelle's first fiction and how it relates back to her life as a therapist
• The journey towards self-discovery and being accountable for one's past and one's trauma
• Her "Wine, Love, and Friendship" trilogy
• Michelle's belief that there should be a "men's fiction" genre
• The benefit of writing about important and sensitive subjects within a fictional setting
• The colleague of Michelle's who read her first book and had it hit so close to home that she had to put the book aside for a while to process it in her mind
• All the different types of creative and nature therapies that exist and which can cross-over
• Michelle's thumbnail version of what art therapy is, as well as what it isn't
• Using the ceremony of the art-making and the experience as a way of allowing someone the opportunity to effectively "say goodbye" to a cherished family pet
• The 42 minute hour and how it relates to the tremendous amount of time so many of us seem to be "losing" lately
• Finding and leveraging the time that exists as opposed to letting it sift away
• Michelle's 42 Minute Club on Facebook
• How we all have different and unique tools in our own baskets.
• Advice Michelle has for dealing with writer's block or being stuck
• And much more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of lost time as well as the concept of the different tools that we all possess and the way they work for us at different times.

Links of Interest:

• Michelle Oucharek-Deo Website
  • The Girl in the Peach Tree
  • Barefoot in the Dirt
  • Untangled Vines
• The 42 Minute Club: Time With Intention (Facebook Group)
• EP 273 - Deep and Meaningful Music Connections with Jennifer Buchanan
• Findaway Voices Blog - Merchandising Call for Entries
• The Canadian Mounted Spotify Playlist
• The Official Lover's Moon Spotify Playlist
• Lover's Moon Podcast (Spotify)
• 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

Michelle Oucharek-Deo is a writer, speaker and art therapist who has dedicated herself to living her life on the sparkly side of the street. She spent 28 years with a paintbrush in her hand walking with people through their emotional journeys.

Several years ago she stepped outside of the counseling office to create her first fictional series about a woman pushing past her fear and looking at who she really wants to become. During the process of Michelle's emerging writing career, managing her counseling business and motherhood, she created a new and exciting way to manage her time.

Michelle looks forward to sharing stories about her fiction writing journey and how her time management philosophy of the 42 Minute Hour allowed her to lay the foundation to running two parallel careers, baking muffins for her son, planting her garden and still staying sane.

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 Jennifer Buchanan, a musician, author, entrepreneur, music therapist, and two-time award-winning author about her more than thirty years of experience helping people connect using music.

Prior to the main segment, Mark shares a personal reflective update and a word about this episode's sponsor that's also filled with a few reflections.

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

During their conversation, Mark and Jennifer talk about:

• When Mark and Jennifer had last spoken and how much Jennifer enjoyed the conversation
• How Jennifer has been a health entrepreneur who has been running her music therapy business for 31 years
• Her youngest client is 2 months old, and her eldest is 104
• Becoming an author and how that has been such a pleasure
• Being passionate about music therapy and the good it can do
• Reminding people of their innate humanness and the strengths that still exist inside them
• Mark's unique music-related connection with his best-friend
• The reason why Jennifer has "written another book"
• Even though they can be short/small connections, music connections can be really meaningful and deep and lasting
• Jennifer's re-released children's book (My Body is Special, Especially for Me) inspired by a group of children she had worked with and a song she wrote for them
• Remembering that a song is never just a song, and that a playlist is never just a playlist
• Finding out what your anchor songs are
• How Jennifer's Book Tune In was meant to be her first and last book on the topic of music therapy. But that she loved it so much she fell back in love with the topic
• The importance of never underestimating luck
• Listening to the clues given by your body and your health
• Getting out and doing movement and weight training
• Missing just getting her guitar out and playing it and singing
• And much more...

After the interview Mark reflects on three different things that the conversation made him think about.

Links of Interest:

• JB Music Therapy
• Jennifer Buchanan Website
• EP 151 - Wellness, Well Played with Jennifer Buchanan
• The Canadian Mounted Spotify Playlist
• The Official Lover's Moon Spotify Playlist
• Lover's Moon Podcast (Spotify)
• 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

Jennifer Buchanan first witnessed the power of music as a young teen when her Grandad had his second stroke leaving him unable to speak or walk and living in long term care. It was Granny who asked her the simple question…"Jenny would you bring your guitar next week and sing your Grandad's favorite song?"

As she sang, Jennifer would witness the face of the grumpy old man she thought she knew, turn into the tears of a man who wanted a more meaningful connection.

Today Jennifer Buchanan is the Founder of JB Music Therapy (JBMT), a company that has been instrumental in the implementation of hundreds of music therapy programs throughout Canada for more than 30 years and has been thrice nominated for the Community Impact Award by her local Chamber of Commerce. JB Music Therapy employs a specialized team of 18 Certified Music Therapists (MTAs) serving infants to elders in medical, education and community wellness settings.

As the author of two award-winning books and the current Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Music Therapists Jennifer is recognized as a trusted source for television and print media throughout North America on the topics of music, mental health and the power of a playlist.

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 Lila Holley, a US Army combat Veteran, and the multiple award-winning author behind the Camouflaged Sisters brand.

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 audiobooks distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

During their conversation, Mark and Lila talk about:

• Lila's life of more than two decades in the army, then transitioning into creating a platform allowing veteran women to share their stories
• Trying to find her place in high school, but enjoying writing and getting excellent feedback and encouragement from a teacher
• The difficulty of the transition of leaving the military and then re-creating that civilian life
• Returning to journalling as an outlet in that transition
• Sharing her experiences in order to help other veterans
• Realizing how important to would be to help so many others share their own stories
• How Lila works with veterans to help them share their experiences, reminding them that everyone has a story
• The way Lila's first book eventually lead to an entire Camouflaged Sisters movement
• The themes of the three different Camouflaged sisters books as well as the behind-the-rank series
• Being the only female and the only black person in the room for parts of her career in the military service
• Feeling like she had to work longer hours and keep proving herself, and how that pressure can often come from an internal place
• The equal pay nature of the military service
• Sharing your ugly truth and the lessons learned
• How the military is a reflection of society
• The importance of not feeling alone
• The online community of Camouflaged Sisters and how people can be a part of it
• Involvement of military family perspectives that are included in the community, the stories, and the books
• The monthly safe space sisterhood chat that focuses on self-care
• Why Lila decided to work towards her Masters in Publishing
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the power of writing, the power of story, of sharing one's story, of helping others share their story, and of ensuring that people realize they are not alone.

Links of Interest:

• Camouflaged Sisters Website
• EP 271 - Story Nerd Podcast with Valerie Francis and Melanie Hill
• EP 268 - Neurodivergence and the Creative Process with October K. Santerelli
• Draft2Digital Blog Post on Industry Insights for Q1 & Q2 of 2022
• The Official LOVER'S MOON Spotify Playlist
• Lover's Moon Podcast (Spotify)
• 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

Lila Holley is a US Army combat Veteran. She is the multiple award-winning, Amazon bestselling visionary author behind the Camouflaged Sisters brand. This retired US Army Warrant Officer has published 9 total books, including 8 anthology books with 143 coauthors and has additional projects scheduled with the launch of her Camouflaged Sisters Publishing company.

Camouflaged Sisters empowers military women and women Veterans to take back the narrative and ownership of their stories. Lila believes there is no one better to tell these stories than those who lived them. She is creating an amazing platform that celebrates military women and women Veterans with her online community, virtual and live events, retreats and getaways, and workshops. Through this community military women connect with each other, access resources, and share their stories. Camouflaged Sisters is more than just books—it's a movement!

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 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