Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

In this solo episode where Mark shares some examples of ways that authors can leverage some of the audio and audiobook options available to them.

Prior to the main segment and clips, Mark shares a personal update, comments from recent episodes, 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:

• Findaway Voices
• Other Episodes Mentioned in this podcast
  • EP 029 - Terry Fallis on Writing with Authenticity, Humor, and Passion
  • EP 063 - Wait! Did You Hear That? All About Audiobooks
  • EP 136 - Great sales at Google with Brian Rathbone
  • EP 148 - AI Voice Double Conversation with Joanna Penn
  • EP 233 - Love Only Better, with Paulette Stout
  • EP 227 - Publishing Trends and Reflections for 2022
  • EP 257 - Naima Simone on Writing with Heart, Humor, and Heat
• Draft2Digital Podcast EP 073 - Acting, Audiobooks, and TikTok with Actress Sarah Sampino
• This Time Around (Short Story - Audio Versions)
  • Human Narrated/Scott Overton (Paid)
  • Human Narrated/Scott Overton (FREE YouTube)
  • Google Play AI Narrated - Mike (FREE)
• The 7 P's of Publishing Success
  • Human Narrated/Mark (Paid)
  • AI Narrated - VocoCraft - Brian
  • AI Narrated - Google Play - Mike
• Mark's Short Story Collections
  • Active Reader
  • Bumps in the Night
  • Snowman Shivers
• Evasion (Human Narrated / Brian Troxell)
• 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

This week's episode is a series of highlighted clips from the nearly 3 hours of Reflective Hangout sessions that took place in June 2022 with Mark and a few patrons of the podcast:

• Katie Cross
• Matty Dalrymple
• Roland Denzel
• Kathy Mac

Prior to the main segment and clips, Mark 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.

Links of Interest:

• Findaway Voices
• Audiobooks See Double Digit Growth (Findaway Blog)
• APA - Sales & Consumer Survey Press Release
• June 2022 Reflective Hangout 1
• June 2022 Reflective Hangout 2
• June 2022 Reflective Hangout 3
• 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 interviews USA Today Bestselling author Naima Simone about writing sizzling romances with heart, a touch of humor and snark.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, reads recent comments, 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 chat, Mark and Naima talk about:

• Naima's unique and fun tagline: "Where heart, humor, and heat collide"
• Learning to read as early as 3 and 4 years of age
• Some of Naima's favorite books she read when growing up, and also sneaking into her mom's room to read her mom's more adult romance books at the age of 11 and 12
• Writing her first story about a cucumber named Fred who went to the bookstore
• The romance book she wrote in the 2nd grade
• The "fan fiction" type of stories that she used to write and trade with her sister
• The "Donnie Wahlberg" inspired romantic story Naima wrote
• Why Naima worked so hard and never gave up on her dream to be a published author
• What was supposed to be that "next level" of her career and the experience of opening that first royalty check
• Naima's father's advise about following your passion and how his support and advice helped her at that devastating moment of seeing that particular royalty check
• The importance of the emotional and logistical support of her husband
• How Naima may write romance but that her husband is the romantic person in their relationship
• The core of honor, respect, and vulnerability from her husband who has made it into some of Naima's fictional characters
• Deciding between working with a publisher or self-publishing a particular writing project
• Naima's love of the 80's and 80's music and how that has made it into a particular series she is writing
• Her book Jessie's Girl, and the connection to Rick Springfield using it as an example that song titles can't be copyrighted
• Naima's advice for new of beginning writers
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on Naima's pivotal moment.

Links of Interest:

• Naima Simone's Website
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
• EP 256 - Knowing Your Value and Worth as an Author
• 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
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Published since 2009, USA Today Bestselling author Naima Simone loves writing sizzling romances with heart, a touch of humor and snark. Her books have been featured in The Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly, and described as balancing "crackling, electric love scenes with exquisitely rendered characters caught in emotional turmoil."

She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.

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 an excerpt about calculating your worth as an author from the book ACCOUNTING FOR AUTHORS which he co-authored with D.F. Hart.

Prior to the interview, Mark welcomes new patron Jenny Simard LaBranche to his patron supporters, and shares a word from 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:

• Accounting for Authors
• EP 255 - Overcoming Obstacles and Just Doing It With Jenny S. LaBranche
• Findaway Voices
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
• 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 interviews Jenny S. LaBranche about not letting anything stand in the way of pursuing her dream of becoming a writer.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, reads comments, 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 chat, Mark and Jenny talk about:

• Wanting, her entire life, to be a writer
• Growing up in a Hollywood family, and first learning about screenplays
• Jenny's work-related connection to the 9/11 tragedy in New York City (75% of their clients were in the World Trade Center buildings) and becoming a firefighter and EMT shortly after that
• Leaving her job in August 2021 and the great support her husband offered her
• Signing the Red Sneaker contract
• A little bit about the Red Sneakers book series from William Bernhardt and how they helped Jenny
• Being surrounded by so many of mother's books when she was young
• Working with William Bernhardt as a writing coach and as an editor
• The Writing Retreat in the Ozark that Jenny was scheduled to attend this summer
• Jenny's forthcoming novel Kingdoms of Shadow and Flame and the heart of her main character
• Scheduling her day to include writing, other tasks, and non-writing-related chores and responsibilities
• Going for walks with her characters
• Being a hard-core plotter
• Jenny's plans for the new novel and the options she's considering
• How Jenny learned about Draft2Digital
• The value and power of acknowledging that "I Am A Writer"
• Why it's important to stop doubting yourself and to just do it
• And more...

After the interview, Mark reflects on two of the things Jenny spoke about, thanks Patrons, and also reads an excerpt from Fright Nights, Big City as an example of a "walk with your character" exercise.

Links of Interest:

• Jenny's Facebook Page
• Red Sneaker Writers
• Red Sneaker Writing Retreats
• EP 252 - Broadening Your Writing Universe with Rona Gofstein
• 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
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Jenny S. LaBrache spent from ages 20–31 working in the IT field. On September 11, 2001, Jenny was working as a Corporate IT Manager, managing 10 of the world's largest internet companies. 75% of her companies clients were in the world trade centers and they themselves occupied the 136 floor of The South Tower. After that devastation, Jenny left the IT field and began working as a Firefighter and Emergency Medic until the end of 2014. Throughout her life and career, Jenny always let her dyslexia stand in the way of pursuing her dream of becoming a writer, but no longer.

On August 26th, 2021, Jenny joined William Bernhardt's Red Sneaker Writers Center on Facebook and began The Red Sneaker Writers Book Series. Her first high fantasy novel will be Kingdoms of Shadow and Flame. This is a thrilling, fast paced fantasy filled with adventure, dark forces, deceit, laughter, friendship and, a humorous discovery of the primal nature of one's true self. Where new friends become tutors in the most interesting and hilarious ways.

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 Bryan Cohen who runs Author Ad School, Best Page Forward, and co-hosts The Sell More Books Show.

Prior to the interview, Mark thanks his patrons, reads comments, offers 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 chat, Mark and Bryan talk about:

• Bryan's "Best Page Forward" book blurb writing business that started in 2016
• Slowly growing the business by starting off with "bargain basement" pricing, and then eventually growing to having 8 writers and having written more than 5000 book descriptions
• The misconception that it's necessary for a blurb writer to have to read the book they are writing about
• Adding instructions for Amazon and Facebook ads to his repertoire
• The fact that even people who work on the Amazon Ads product can find it complex and confusing
• The quarterly free Amazon Ad Challenges that Bryan has been running for the past couple of years
• The hands-on approach to this challenge that begins right at step-one
• Who these free challenges and the full courses are for
• Opportunities that exist within email marketing
• The forthcoming book that Bryan is working on that follows the "story" of helping a fictional author named Nina
• Bryan's long-running podcast The Sell More Books Show
• The importance of regularly scheduled down-time for one's mental and physical health
• A little bit about Bryan's own personal writing career
• Bryan's final "hot potato of wisdom" (a shtick from The Sell More Books Show)
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the importance of downtown for an author, as well as Bryan's reminder about starting off focusing on one writing thing and one marketing thing.

Links of Interest:

• Bryan Cohen's Website
• Best Page Forward
• Sell More Books Show Podcast
• Bryan's Kick Your Email Kickstarter
• Episode 251 - The Author Journey with C.J. Anaya
• 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

Bryan Cohen runs Author Ad School, Best Page Forward, and co-hosts The Sell More Books Show. He's helped over 30,000 authors through his free Ad Challenges and has sold 140,000 copies of his own books as well.

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 Lizbeth Meredith an award-winning author, speaker, and online teacher living in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her memoir Pieces of Me has been adapted as Stolen By Their Father for Lifetime Television and was released earlier this year.

Prior to the interview, Mark thanks his patrons, talks about a cool Kickstarter that one of his patrons, Holger Nils Pohl is running, 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 chat, Mark and Lizbeth talk about:

• Lizbeth's earliest melodramatic poetry writing when she was young
• Why and how the writing helped when she started to think of her life as a story
• Realizing how Lizbeth's PIECES OF ME is just one of an endless number of stories of survival and resilience
• Her story of looking over two years of her children being abducted and taken away by their non-custodial father
• The importance of community for writers as well as for people in general
• Being told, when sharing her first draft "You know, this doesn't HAVE to be published"
• Positive feedback from agents who loved her manuscript but would be unable to take it on
• Deciding to publish with a hybrid publisher (a publisher that charges authors for all the publishing costs)
• Learning about writers grants to be able to take advantage of and applying for them
• How applying for a grant helps a writer learn how to pitch
• Having her book optioned by Canadian company Cineflex
• The lengthy timelines that it took in order to get the option in place
• The movie name being re-adapted from the book title to "Stolen by Their Father"
• The release date of the 2022 movie lining up with the anniversary of the date Lizbeth left her husband
• Some of the other writing projects Lizbeth is working on
• Lizbeth's podcast, Persistence U with Lizbeth
• Advice Lizbeth would offer to her younger self or beginning writers
• And more...

After the interview, Mark reflects on Lizbeth's business decision on how she would publish, recognizing the skills she already had with skills from the hybrid publisher she chose. He also reflects on her pointing out the value of community.

Links of Interest:

• Lizbeth's Website
• Lizbeth's Podcast
• IMDB Listing for Stolen by Their Father
• Lizbeth's Interview of Best Book Ever Podcast
• Findaway Voices
• Holger Nils Pohl's Kickstarter: Creating Clarity
• 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

Lizbeth Meredith is an author living in Chattanooga, Tennessee after more than 5 decades in Alaska. Her memoir, Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters, has been adapted as Stolen By Their Father for Lifetime Television.

Lizbeth is a speaker and online teacher who enjoys coaching and consulting part-time, a fun addition after three-decades career serving crime victims and offenders. In her off- time, Lizbeth enjoys movies at the theater, talking with podcast guests at Persistence U with Lizbeth, and Facetime chats with her adult daughters and grand-pets.

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 Rona Gofstein, an Author Accelerator certified fiction book coach who specializes in helping writers of genre fiction develop, write and revise their novels. She also writes contemporary romance, is the president of Broad Universe, an international organization for women and alternatively gendered authors of speculative fiction, as well as president of the New Hampshire Chapter of RWA.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, thanks his patrons and provides them an update on June virtual hangouts 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 chat, Mark and Rona talk about:

• When Rona first started to play around with writing when back in college
• How Julia Cameron's Book The Artist's Way inspired Rona to get serious about writing and publishing a book
• Being a "feel your way through" type of writer
• Knowing her characters really well, despite being a planstser
• How Rona works through character sheets
• The importance of having a "what would they never, ever do?" element on a character sheet
• What Broad Universe is within speculative fiction and how they use it to help bring attention to a more diverse range of authors
• Becoming an accredited Author Accelerator Book coach
• Rona's love of helping writers realize their dreams of becoming a writer
• The different types of clients Rona works with and the techniques and elements she helps them understand
• Where and how Rona fits in her own writing
• Continuing to do the "Morning Pages" from the previously mentioned book by Julia Cameron
• How coaching and writing can help feed off one another for Rona
• The Joan Didion quote: "I don't know what I think until I write it down."
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of the morning pages that Rona does based on reading Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way.

Links of Interest:

• Rona Gofstein's Website
• Broad Universe
• 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

Rona Gofstein is an Author Accelerator certified fiction book coach and specializes in helping writers of genre fiction develop, write and revise their novels. She writes contemporary romance and will be launching a new series and pen name later this year. Rona is the president of Broad Universe, an international organization for women and alternatively gendered authors of speculative fiction, as well as president of the New Hampshire Chapter of RWA. She desperately needs her morning coffee, thinks reservations are the best thing to make for dinner, and believes that one day she will find the magic planner that will keep her perfectly organized.

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 C.J. Anaya, a USA Today bestselling and multi-award-winning author who enjoys assisting authors in writing, publishing, and marketing books with her YouTube channel Author Journey.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, an ad he recorded with Julie Strauss for the release of their new novel Lover's Moon, 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 chat, Mark and CJ talk about:

• How by the time she was eight months old CJ was singing
• Writing short stories for her friends at the age of 10 because she wanted to give them all Christmas presents
• The singing and performing she did, including starting to writing songs at the age of 18
• Going through three incidents of cancer. First at the age of 18, then at 26, and more recently in the past year
• How her writing journey began shortly after running into Jennifer Griffith when CJ was in a bookstore signing copies of her CD
• Writing short stories for her friends at the age of 10 because she wanted to give them all Christmas presents
• Dreaming about a spirit trapped in a Japanese statue which lead to writing THE HEALER which ended up being the first book in a series
• How the Paranormal Misfit series started off as a 10,000 word short story
• The specific themes and issues that this YA series deals with
• The book and course CJ created about writer's block
• Specific genres that CJ works on as a developmental editor
• CJ's experience attending Superstars Writing Seminars alone (as opposed to always previously going to conferences with a friend)
• Advice she would give to her youngest self
• Something that she hadn't expected when taking Kevin J. Anderson's Western Colorado University's Masters in Publishing program
• Writing songs for characters in her books
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on when CJ spoke about learning to deal with constructive criticism and appreciating that it's not that there's anything wrong with the work, but about what can we improve upon and how can we make this even better.

Links of Interest:

• CJ Anaya's Website
• CJ's YouTube Channel
• Cindy Savage Music on Reverbnation
• Findaway Voices
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
• Best Book Ever Podcast
• Lovers Moon Podcast
• TikTok Video - Mark's Skeleton Author Prop
• French River Trading Post
• 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

C.J. Anaya is a USA Today bestselling and multi-award-winning author. She also enjoys assisting authors in writing, publishing, and marketing books with her YouTube channel Author Journey.

She's a huge fan of The Mindy Project, Hugh Jackman, and binge eating any and all things chocolate.

As a mother of four awesome kiddos, C.J. is usually helping out with endless amounts of homework, attempting difficult and harrowing crochet projects with her daughters, and getting schooled in basketball by her teenage son.

She loves writing entertaining reads for everyone to enjoy and dabbles in singing and songwriting for kicks and giggles.

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 E.S. Curry, an insatiable renaissance man who loves writing outside the data stream on a Royal typewriter, listening to classical music on vinyl, and imagining bedtime stories with his son Åsmund.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares 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.

During their chat, Mark and Scott talk about:

• How Scott started writing for himself four years ago after years of doing ghostwriting and working in advertising and marketing
• The importance of discovering his own voice as a writer and how it took writing over one million words before he found his voice
• The experience of a being at a "Fred Forward" conference at the Fred Rogers Center and how Fred Rogers talked about the importance of being in a bubble with a child and really engaging and attending to them and that space
• Getting away to the wilderness with his son Åsmund, unplugging from the digital realm, and really connecting with one another and within nature
• The desire of parents to want to "write these things down" when experiencing that magical time in their child's life where the fantastical and imagination are such powerful elements
• Doing their first father/son book signing at Lake Placid
• Writing on a 1953 Royal Quiet Deluxe typewriter
• Discovering his own author brand and his persona in the same way that he had to discover his own writer voice
• The scholarly 1858 expedition known as the Philosopher's Camp
• Richard Louv's writing, his books The Nature Principal, Last Child in the Woods, and his ideas of a Nature Deficit Disorder
• Being visited by Ralph Waldo Emerson's ghost in Scott's next book: Camping with Emerson's Ghost
• Scott being a huge believer in the 3-format author
• A little bit about Scott's role at Findaway Voices
• The experience of doing the audio for his first book, including auditioning himself as a potential narrator
• The importance of having a simultaneous release with multiple formats to maximize your launch marketing effort impact
• Some of the projects that Scott has been working on outlining
• Being a big believer in the Rule of 3's
• Creating book ciphers for his son as well as for marketing
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on Scott's work at writing millions of words before finding his voice, communing with nature, and the tactile experience of writing on a typewriter.

Links of Interest:

• E.S. Curry's Website
• Findaway Voices
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
• Accounting for Authors
• 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

E.S. Curry is an insatiable renaissance man that loves writing outside the data stream on a Royal typewriter while listening to classical music on vinyl, plays piano and guitar, races his sailing yacht Escapade, fences, and imagines bedtime stories with his son Åsmund.

For over 20 years, he's worked with iconic brands around the world designing brand strategies and marketing campaigns, including IMG, Arnold Palmer, Olympics, Fashion Week, and numerous non-profit initiatives. He is currently the Marketing Strategist for Findaway Voices, a platform that empowers authors and publishers to create and distribute audiobooks to reach listeners globally.

A former ghostwriter, he published his first book under his own pen name, The Flying Sabuki: A Father-Son Nature Adventure, in 2021. One of the many five-star reviews describes the book as a "Must Read for Parents" and "Curry's approach to parenting struck a chord with me, as his intentional foundation of love and genuine connection with this child is what I aspire to as a parent. On several occasions, tears streamed down my face…" The follow-up book entitled The Philosophers Ghost: Camping with Ralph Waldo Emerson will be published later this year.

E.S. Curry calls Cleveland, Ohio, and Great Lake Erie his home port. To learn more and sign up for his email list visit escurry.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