Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

In this episode Mark interviews Emily Goodwin. Emily is the Vice President Public Affairs for Author Services, Inc. based in Los Angeles, California. She has been involved with book publishing since 2007, including the international Writers & Illustrators of the Future Contests. She is the producer for the Writers of the Future annual Achievement Awards as well as the online writing workshop.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update that include some mistakes he made in the recent release of his novel Fear and Longing in Los Angeles as well as 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.

In their conversation, Emily and Mark talk about:

• The blind-judged free to enter contest that Writers of the Future operations for beginning writers
• How stories can be read by NYT Bestselling science-fiction and fantasy writers like David Farland, Brandon Sanderson, Orson Scott Card, and a dozen others
• The four quarters of the contest, and the fact that authors can enter each quarter
• Winners for each quarterly contest who get flown in to spend a week long boot-camp in a hotel just off Hollywood Boulevard with the esteemed bestselling sci-fi and fantasy judges
• The way that Illustrators and Writers collaborate and the amazing "art reveal" experience that happens when the artists, who have been working on pieces to match each story, reveal their work for the first time
• Some of the details of the workshops and lectures they participate in during the weekly boot-camp, including the "24 hour story" challenge
• Getting to learn from authors like Larry Niven, Robert J. Sawyer, Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta
• The gala book launch event for the Writers and Illustrators of the Future anthology that usually involves signing upwards of 500 to 600 copies of the book
• The follow-up media support offered to authors once they return to their respective homes
• The incredible networking that happens at the annual event, between the writers and illustrators and the attending judges and presenters and workshop leaders
• How the annual event was affected in 2020 because of the global pandemic
• The purpose of the contest to help new writers and illustrators with a bit of a boost and kick-start to their career based on their talent
• The free online WOTF workshops that are available for anyone to participate in which are led by Dave Farland, Tim Powers, and Orson Scott Card
• And more...

Links of Interest

• Writers of the Future
  • Writer Contest
  • Illustrator Contest
  • Free Online Workshop
  • Writer Judges
  • Illustrator Judges
• Black History Month Organizations & Resources
• Findaway Voices
• 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
• Wide for the Win
• Wide Writer Survey
• Wide for the Win Submission Form
• Patreon for Stark Reflections

Emily Goodwin is the Vice President Public Affairs for Author Services, Inc. based in Los Angeles, California. She has been involved with book publishing since 2007, including the international Writers & Illustrators of the Future Contests. She is the producer for the Writers of the Future annual Achievement Awards as well as the online writing workshop. She has been active with the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards as a judge. She is involved in community activities in the greater Los Angeles area and has been Vice President Community Outreach for the Hollywood Christmas Parade since 2014. Emily has also been an Honorary Commander for the US Air Force since 2018 and as of 2020, the US Space Force.

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 episode Mark interviews Judith and Michael Anderle of LMBPN Publishing.

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.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update on the forthcoming release of Fear and Longing in Los Angeles and the ongoing work being done on Wide for the Win. He also talks about the benefits of PLR (Public Lending Right) programs.

In their conversation, Judith, Michael, and Mark talk about:

• How they each got started in the business of publishing
• Michael's first 90 days of writing and publishing
• Judith's background in the medical and pharmaceutical industry and how she made Michael create a profit/loss statement for the following year for LMBPN before she decided to step in and run the company
• How calculating the earnings of $7.50 per book per day led to the idea of the 20Booksto50K methodology, movement, and Facebook Group
• Judith's inkling for fashion and how that led to the company name LMBPN (London Madrid Barceloni Paris New York - the fashion capitals of the word) and how the complexity of the company name provided a "great, people will talk about it" essence
• The "Disruptive Imagination" tag line for LMBPN and the multiple pillars represented in the logo itself
• The generosity of spirit in working with authors directly at LMBPN as well as sharing with the larger author community
• Some of the international authors and employees of LMBPN who hail from all over the world
• How Michael and Judith have long operated not only within indie publishing circles, but also traditional publishing venues and international book fairs
• The recent acquisition of book industry veteran Robin Cutler as President of LMBPN
• Michael's recent health issues related to hypertension and other conditions
• The value of knowing yourself, and your nature, as well as understanding your strengths and weaknesses
• The unofficial "disrupting retirement" behavior of LMBPN
• How Judith never looks at a negotiation as a one-time business contract, but more about the benefit of the long-term relationship
• The OPUS-X project and the multi-layers of collaboration for this wide book launch
• Advice that Michael and Judith would give to the earlier versions of themselves when first getting into this business
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the ground-breaking changes that LMBPN is ushering in. He also thanks patrons of the podcast.

Links of Interest

• LMBPN Publishing
  • OPUS X Book One: Obsidian Detective
• Black History Month Organizations & Resources
• Findaway Voices
• Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
• Fright Nights, Big City
• Wide for the Win
• Wide Writer Survey
• Wide for the Win Submission Form
• Patreon for Stark Reflections

LMBPN is the publishing company for the Kurtherian Gambit, Oriceran, Protected by the Damned and other Universes. In addition to Michael Anderle, they have have published in eBook, print, and audio format collaborations with Justin Sloan, Craig Martelle, TS Paul, CM Raymond, and LE Barbant, Paul C. Middleton, Amy Hopkins, Ell Leigh Clarke, PT Hylton, Candy Crum, Martha Carr, Sarah Boyce, A. L. Knorr, Sarah Knoffke, and many others.

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 Julie Bonser (Head of Youth Services) and Michelle Rutter (Teen Services Librarian) from Eastern Munroe Public Library in Pennsylvania.

Prior to the interview is an message 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, Julie, and Michelle talk about:

• Julie and Michelle's respective titles, the role each of them plays at the library and a little about their background
• The five different locations in Monroe County where Michelle provides the teen services programing
• How Julie is not typical as a librarian as a "book-centric" person
• An explanation of the designation of the term "librarian" what that means and how it differs in different states and the difference between "provisional" and "professional"
• The significant differences and focuses of public, academic, and school libraries
• What the average day in the life of a youth services librarian might be like
• Some of the strange and odd activities that a teen services librarian might find themselves doing
• Changes that Julie and Michelle have seen since the start of the pandemic
• Collaborations and sharing with different departments in the library
• Examples of some of the activities programmed for the library, such as a teen writing workshop
• The circulation of physical YA books as being the highest it has ever been at the library
• Platforms the library uses for book acquisition, as well as how they find out about and decide what books to purchase
• Preferences and biases that librarian curators might have
• Why a writer of books for younger readers might have a bigger challenge or more resistance to getting books into libraries verses authors of adult titles
• Librarians looking at holes in title selection as well as specific representation of indigenous voices, #ownvoices, etc
• Recommendations for how to contact and reach out to libraries to let them know about your book
• And more...

After the interview, Mark shares a couple of reflections about things the conversation with Julie and Michelle made him think about. He also thanks patrons and listeners.

Links of Interest

• Eastern Monroe Public Library
• An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
• Black History Month Organizations & Resources
• Findaway Voices - Royalty Bonus Opportunity
• Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
• Wide for the Win
• Wide Writer Survey
• Wide for the Win Submission Form
• Patreon for Stark Reflections

Julie Bonser graduated with a degree in Elementary Education but somehow ended up in libraries. She is currently the Head of Youth Services at the Eastern Monroe Public Library in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, but also has prior experience in circulation, cataloging, and adult reference. Serving kids and teens is her main passion, which keeps her energized, up-to-date, and endlessly entertained. Julie is a lifelong resident of the Pocono Mountains. She enjoys children's literature, board games, Tetris, and strumming the ukulele.

Michelle Rutter is a Teen Services Public Librarian in NE Pennsylvania along with her skeleton assistant Bona Lisa. She is a lifelong bibliophile and has enjoyed teaching such a big word to little kids when she worked in school libraries. She has also worked in an academic library where she once cataloged a piece of heavy machinery as a joke because the facilities department parked it in the library for so long. When she's not perpetrating benign mayhem at work or reading she enjoys dancing, yoga, and various creative pursuits.

Bona Lisa is a Halloween decoration given a greater afterlife as Michelle's pandemic companion and trusty sidekick on the job. She's a bit thin-skinned but her work ethic is hard to beat as she has worked her fingers to the bone.

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 episode Mark interviews Nadine Williams, a storyteller, a writer, a poet, keynote speaker and entrepreneur.

Prior to the interview Mark shares some recent personal comments, a personal update, and 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.

In their conversation, Mark and Nadine talk about:

• How being a writer, speaker, and poet was something that Nadine stumbled upon after life threw her some curve balls
• The way that writing became therapy
• Nadine's career in construction and a trade show encounter that led to her first published article
• The idea of a book being the result of the marriage between a writer and her pen
• Nadine's use of the term "tears to ink" to describe the earliest therapeutic writing she had done
• The early reading Nadine did as a child, and the oral storytelling tradition she grew up with
• The experience of opening up for a talk that Michelle Obama did in Toronto in 2017
• The poem "Us Women" that Nadine read for the Obama event, which was originally the poem "Us Africans" that she re-adapted
• A custom line thrown in to page homage to Michelle Obama specifically
• What Nadine learned from an error made at that event
• The art of performance poetry and how all of Nadine's writing has that element of performance
• The way that an entire poem can come from a single word
• The significant event that led Nadine into speaking at libraries and schools
• The art installations and nominations that Nadine was involved in
• Advice that Nadine would offer to beginning writers
• Some of the issues we have in Canada related to intolerance and people not being aware of their prejudices and biases
• Nadine's 2021 Black History Month Theme - "Nurturing Hope through Allyship"
• And more...

After the interview, Mark reflects on Nadine's ability to adapt and re-adapt both creatively and in an entrepreneurial way.

Links of Interest

• Nadine Williams Website
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
• Black History Organizations & Resources
• EP 175 - ScribeCount
• EP 133 - Anatomy of a Rebel with Sacha Black
• EP 155 - Rebel Reflections with Guest Host Sacha Black
• EP 163 - Getting a Creative Edge with Mickey Mikkelson
• The Indy Author Podcast - EP 063 - Wide for the Win with Mark Leslie Lefebvre
• Rebel Author Podcast EP - 71
• Findaway Voices
  • 7 Audiobook Trends for Authors to Watch in 2021
• Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
• Nano-Chameleon Parody Video
• Wide for the Win
• Wide Writer Survey
• Wide for the Win Submission Form
• Patreon for Stark Reflections

Nadine Williams is an avid child reader, turned wordsmith, turned working Artist. She is a storyteller, a writer, a poet, an arts educator, a Keynote Speaker and host workshop Facilitator, a visual artist, and entrepreneur.

Nadine is the author of the books The Culmination of Marriage Between Me and My Pen, Love Rocks, With This Pen I Do Tell, and Pen on Fyah.

Mark interviews Philippa A. Werner, a two times USA Today Bestselling author and the public face of ScribeCount about her writing and the new sales analytics tool for authors.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and 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.

Mark also thanks Patrons of the podcast and announces the patron winner of Clark Chamberlain's Story Stuck Coaching package.

In their conversation, Mark and Philippa talk about:

• Philippa's background as a writer (under the pen names Moira Katson and Natalie Grey
• The initial release to the sound of crickets, and the later release of the Light and Shadow trilogy which really took off
• How Philippa learns best by "jumping off the deep end"
• Advice that if you're having trouble coming up with a blurb for your book, that might be an indication that there's a fundamental problem with the story itself
• The ScribeCount platform which is a sales aggregator that helps authors analyze their sales in a single dashboard
• Why ScribeCount was created because the creators themselves (Philippa and Randall Wood) wanted that tool they could use
• The launch of ScribeCount on Jan 15, 2021
• The easy process by which an author can set up an account on ScribeCount in a matter of minutes
• The beginning-author-friendly cost structure for ScribeCount
• Some of the details and analytics that are easily available to see on ScribeCount
• And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the importance of sales analysis and access to amazing tools created by folks from within the author community.

Links of Interest

• ScribeCount
  • ScribeCount on Twitter
  • ScribeCount on Facebook
• Moira Katson Website
  • Moira Katson Facebook Page
• Randall Wood Author
• The Indy Author Podcast - EP 063 - Wide for the Win with Mark Leslie Lefebvre
• EP 173 - DF Hart on Recovering from Mistakes
• Findaway Voices
• Wide for the Win
• Wide Writer Survey
• Wide for the Win Submission Form
• Patreon for Stark Reflections

Philippa A. Werner is the public face of ScribeCount, overseeing the customer interaction, content, and overall service side of the company. Her main goal is to reduce friction for our subscribers.

Holding a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Mathematics she brings her analytic skills to the team and then balances them with her creative abilities. With 19 novels to her name, including 2 USA Today Bestsellers, Philippa speaks the complicated language of indie-author very well.

A native of Minnesota she can often be found shoveling snow, watching science fiction movies, or arguing thermostat settings. She is an expert at getting socks on a fleeing toddler.

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 episode Mark interviews author Susie Moloney about her life writing horror, the trajectory of her career through writing novels, scripts, and screenplays, and her latest screenplay with director/collaborator Robert Cuffley, BRIGHT HILL ROAD.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes as well as a personal update. He also 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.

In their conversation, Susie and Mark talk about:

• How Susie has been a writer her entire life, had started writing short stories and then discovered that her stories were "getting longer" which eventually evolved into novels
• Susie's "practice novel" ESCAPE OF THE MINOTAUR which was an attempt to see if she could sustain an idea for a novel-length work
• How that first novel led to getting an agent
• The origin of Susie's first novel, BASTION FALLS, which was originally released in 1995 and how it was inspired by Leaf Rapids, Manitoba
• Susie's A DRY SPELL, and what inspired the novel
• The parallel lives that Susie and Stephen King have
• How a leak of the manuscript of A DRY SPELL lead to multiple book and film options
• The fact that Susie was rolling coins to pay the phone bill when her film agent called to let her know about the 7 figure offer for the film option
• How Susie say the "writing on the wall" as publishing was changing rapidly
• How the advances were going down from six figure, to five figure, then to four figure
• How Susie began to collaborate with Robert Cuffley, the director of BRIGHT HILL ROAD and the Award-Winning ROMI
• The brilliant actress Siobhan Williams who plays Marcy in BRIGHT HILL ROAD
• Being a woman who writes and embraces horror, including the thought kicked around that her first book be published under S. Moloney
• Writing a film script specifically for a small cast
• A few projects that Susie has been recently working on
• Susie's experience being writer in residence at Edmonton Public Library

After the interview Mark reflects on a few of the things Susie spoke about and says thank you to his patrons.

Links of Interest

• Susie Moloney Twitter
• Susie Moloney Instagram
• Bright Hill Road (Trailer)
• ROMI (Trailer)
• EP 173 - DF Hart on Recovering from Mistakes
• EP 74 - Perspectives on the Past, Present, and Future of Publishing
• Findaway Voices
• Wide Writer Survey
• Wide for the Win Submission Form
• Patreon for Stark Reflections

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 D.F. Hart about her journey through indie publishing, the mistakes she has made on that journey and the dramatic results of the decision to do a makeover on her thriller covers.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes as well as a personal update. He also 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.

In their conversation, DeAnna and Mark discuss:

• Why DeAnna writes under D.F. Hart and Faith Hart
• Her first experience publishing through a vanity press in 2010
• How that first novel's idea came to her originally in 1989
• How March of 2019 was Deanna's first experience publishing fully indie (as opposed to being done through a vanity press outfit)
• Reader reaction to the balance between law enforcement work and personal/home life in her main character
• How a supplemental character that Deanna felt sorry for and wanted to see her get a happy ending became the main character for the first book in her romance series
• Some of the other complicated ways the two series cross over with one another
• DeAnna's grandmother's advice to learn from the mistakes of others because you can't possibly make all those mistakes on your own
• The consult that DeAnna booked with Craig over at Hidden Gems and how that led to a discussion that helped her decide to change her covers
• Coming to the realization that, while her covers were pretty, they weren't right for the genre
• The book cover designer that DeAnna hired to re-do her thriller book covers
• The increase in sales and reviews/ratings on all the major retailers
• How December 2020 was DeAnna's first four figure month as an author, due to the cover update and the BookBub Feature Deal
• The uptake in newsletter subscribers and BookBub followers that has happened
• The importance of measuring results, analyzing data, and keeping a finger on the pulse of your business
• What DeAnna would have told her 2010 self
• How Vanity Press outfits prey on the lack of information of authors
• The importance of celebrating all of your successes along the way

After the interview, Mark reflects on the decision DeAnna had to make to invest more in covers after having already invested in that in the past.

Links of Interest

• DeAnna's Website
  • Author Facebook Page
  • D.F. Hart
    • BookBub
    • Goodreads
  • Faith Hart
    • BookBub
    • Goodreads
• DeAnna's Article on Hidden Gems
• Rocking Book Covers
• Findaway Voices
• EP 170 - The Genre of Andrew Pyper
• EP 169 - The World Needs Your Book With Monica Leonelle
• EP 166 - Wording Around with Kathy Mac
• EP 165 - Rude Awakenings from Sleeping Rough
• EP 162 - Happy Accidents with Joshua Pantallaresco
• EP 138 - Cash Flow for Creators with Michael W. Lucas
• EP 127 - Consistency in Word Count with Blaze Ward
• EP 90 - Craig Martelle on Successful Indie Author Release Strategies
• Space: 1975 Anthology
• Wide Writer Survey
• Wide for the Win Submission Form
• Patreon for Stark Reflections

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 special bonus episode of the podcast includes a more than two hour discussion about gender.

Jeff Elkins organized this discussion which took place on Saturday, January 9, 2021.

Dr. Paz Galupo of Towson University and Carin Galupo join Crys Cain and JP Rindfleisch of the Write Away Podcast, Jeff Elkins and Laura Humm, of The Dialogue Doctor Podcast and Mark Leslie Lefebvre of The Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing Podcast to walk them through Gender Mapping and give insights into how we should understand the complexities of gender.

Mark foregoes the regular introductory matter for this episode and moves straight to a word from this episode's sponsor prior to the recorded discussion.

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

• Dr. Paz Galupo
• The Dialogue Doctor Podcast
  • Jeff Elkins
  • Laura Humm
  • EP 157 - A Conversation with Jeff Elkins
• Write Away Podcast
  • Crys Cain
  • JP Rindfleish
• Findaway Voices
• Wide Writer Survey
• Wide for the Win Submission Form
• Patreon for Stark Reflections

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 episode Mark shares a look at his 2020 goals and accomplishments, as well as a look at the publishing industry.

Prior to the main content, Mark 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.

Mark's goals for 2020 included:

1. Audio - Author's Guide to Working with Libraries and Bookstores
2. Audio - Killing it on Kobo
3. Audio - Canadian Werewolf in New York
4. Audio - Stowe Away
5. eBook edition - Stowe Away
6. Print - Stowe Away
7. Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
8. Audio - I, Death
9. Audio - One Hand Screaming
10. Too Macabre for Montreal - eBook
11. Screaming Skulls and Other Haunted Objects
12. Weird Waterloo
13. Other Non-Fiction Paranormal Ghost Story Project
14. New Short Story Collection - Nocturnal Saves -(turned into Nobody's Hero)
15. Exclusive Audio Project
16. Viability of Indie Publishing Insider Secrets

Books Publishing

• Nobody's Hero (Story Collection) - Jan 14, 2020
• Taking the Short Tack (Dalrymple) - Jan 31, 2020
• Stowe Away (Cdn Werewolf 1.5) - Aug 15, 2020
• Unexpected Strangers (Nocturnal Screams #5 - WIDE) - Sept 8, 2020
• Thriller Sampler (Tumlinson & Leslie) - Sept 30, 2020
• Z is for Zombie (Noctunral Screams #6 - WIDE) - Oct 10, 2020
• Too Macabre for Monteral - (Krishnasamy) - Oct 16, 2020
• *Strange Sudbury Stories - (Costello, Leslie, Overton) - Oct 20, 2020
• Something Wicked (Nocturnal Screams #7 - WIDE) - Oct 26, 2020
• Phantom Itch (Nocturnal Screams #8 - WIDE) - Nov 9, 2020
• *Beyond Obsessions (Exclusive Kickstarter anthology)
• *Obsessions (anthology - editor) - Nov 24, 2020
• Nocturnal Screams (All 8 Volumes) - Nov 26, 2020
• *Rude Awakenings from Sleeping Rough (Peter Mitchell) - December 1, 2020

Mark also shares the rough calculation of percentages of his eBook earnings as well as a look at the industry in general and his thoughts on what's coming soon for authors.

Links of Interest

• Findaway Voices
• Wide Writer Survey
• Wide for the Win Submission Form
• Parodys
  • Stuck in this House Here with You (Music)
  • Isolation Parody Songs - K-Tel (Medley Parody)
  • You Call Me Fever (Music)
  • There Is No Monster Mash (Music)
  • A Christmas Howl (Christmas Carol Dad Joke)
  • Dramatic Exit (Stupid Dad Joke Short)
  • You Better Knock First (Stupid Dad Joke Short)
  • Mark's Tavern (Cheers Parody)
  • A Pandemic Christmas (K-Tel Medley Parody)
  • Sharing Broadband Streams - Collaborative Parody Project
• The 2020 Aurora Awards Ceremony
• Patreon for Stark Reflections

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 episode Mark interviews Andrew Pyper, an international award winning Canadian author with novels published in multiple countries and multiple languages, with multiple property options in play, and more interesting creative projects in the works.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update that includes the two book projects due in early 2021 and the potential that he might reschedule one a few weeks back, a "wide writer" survey he has put out as well as 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.

In their conversation, Andrew and Mark discuss:

• How Mark first discovered Andrew's work years ago when he was shelving new books in the bookstore he worked at
• The publishing progression that Andrew experienced, writing short fiction and earning publication credits
• How a journal/magazine editor Andrew had sold stories to introduced him to a publisher which led to his very first book (1996), which bypassed the normal submission/rejection cycle
• The cross genre elements of Andrew's novels that incorporate literary, horror, mystery, thriller (which Mark suggests are the "Andrew Pyper" genre)
• The darkness that exists in all of Andrew's novels
• Loving the stories of Alice Munro and the intriguing "shadowy" and "danger" elements that exist in her writing
• The latest short fiction pieces and projects Andrew has been working on
• Some of the properties that Andrew is involved in licensing
• How The Residence was based on actual historical details that happened with Franklin Pierce
• The challenge that can come with over-researching for an author
• The fun of having some trivia info in your back pocket about the White House being haunted
• The intriguing architectural layout of the White House and the residence, including passageways and secret doors
• A special book and audio drama Andrew is releasing via Audible
• The "writers killing writers" premise in THE KILLING CIRCLE
• And more...

Links of Interest

• Andrew Pyper's Website
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Goodreads
• Findaway Voices
• Wide Writer Survey
• Wide for the Win Submission Form
• EP 157 - A Conversion with Jeff Elkins, The Dialogue Doctor
• Parodys
  • Stuck in this House Here with You (Music)
  • Isolation Parody Songs - K-Tel (Medley Parody)
  • You Call Me Fever (Music)
  • There Is No Monster Mash (Music)
  • A Christmas Howl (Christmas Carol Dad Joke)
  • Dramatic Exit (Stupid Dad Joke Short)
  • You Better Knock First (Stupid Dad Joke Short)
  • Mark's Tavern (Cheers Parody)
• Patreon for Stark Reflections

Andrew Pyper was born in Stratford, Ontario, in 1968. He received a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from McGill University, as well as a law degree from the University of Toronto. Although called to the bar in 1996, he has never practiced.

His most recent novels include The Homecoming (2019), The Only Child (2017), and The Damned (2015). His 2013 novel, The Demonologist, won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Hardcover Novel, and was a #1 bestseller in Canada and Brazil.

A number of Pyper's works have been acquired for TV or feature film. The Homecoming is being developed by eOne with Andrew acting as Co-Creator and Executive Producer. Other active projects have not yet been announced.

Among the earlier novels, The Guardians was published in Canada (Doubleday Canada) in January 2011, the U.K. (Orion) in February 2011, and following this internationally in various territories. It was selected a Globe and Mail 100 Best Books of the Year.

The Killing Circle, Andrew's fourth novel, was a national bestseller in Canada, and has been published in the U.K. (HarperCollins) and U.S. (St. Martin's/Minotaur). Translation rights have been sold in Holland, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Japan.

Kiss Me, a collection of short stories, was published to acclaim in 1996. Following its publication, Mr. Pyper acted as Writer-in-Residence at Berton House, Dawson City, Yukon, as well as at Champlain College, Trent University.

His first novel, Lost Girls, was a national bestseller in Canada and a Globe and Mail Notable Book selection in 1999 as well as a Notable Book selection in the New York Times Book Review (2000) and the London Evening Standard (2000). The novel won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel and is an Otto Penzler pick on Amazon.com. Lost Girls has been published in the U.S. (Delacorte Press) and U.K. (Macmillan) in 2000, and has also been translated into Italian, Dutch, German and Japanese.

Andrew's second novel, The Trade Mission, was published in Canada, the U.K., U.S., the Netherlands and Germany. It was selected by The Toronto Star as one of the Ten Best Books of the Year.

Andrew's third novel, The Wildfire Season, was a Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year and has been published to acclaim in the U.K., Canada, U.S. and Holland.

Andrew's creative writing teaching experience includes terms at Trent University, the University of Toronto, and, currently, Colorado College. He lives in Toronto.

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