In this episode, I sit down with John Ryland, author of ten books in the Southern Gothic and dark psychological suspense genres. John grew up surrounded by the folklore and ghost stories of the South, which shaped his passion for storytelling from an early age.

We talk about his journey from writing at 14 to self-publishing, and eventually moving into traditional publishing. John opens up about the hustle it takes to share your work with the world, the influence of Southern culture on his stories, and how he now mentors young writers to help them find their own voices.

If you’ve ever thought about writing a book, wondered what it takes to get published, or simply love a good story—you’ll enjoy this conversation.

📌 Show Notes

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• John’s early love of storytelling and the folklore that shaped his imagination
• How he wrote his first book at just 14 years old
• The realities of self-publishing versus traditional publishing
• The persistence and resilience required to build a career as an author
• Why community and mentorship are so important for creative growth
• John’s advice for aspiring writers who want to share their own stories

About John Ryland:

John is the author of ten books spanning Southern Gothic and dark psychological suspense. His work draws deeply from the rich storytelling traditions of the South, blending atmosphere, folklore, and unforgettable characters. Beyond writing, John mentors young writers and helps them discover their creative voices.

Resources & Links:

Connect with John via his website where you will find information about the author and how to find his books:

gspressbooks.com 

Author of "Leading Magnanimously" and "You Decide"

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Andrew Brummer, an author who transformed a career setback into a publishing success story. After facing an unexpected job transition in March 2024, Andrew discovered his calling as a writer and has since published two books focused on leadership and networking. He shares his journey from having no writing experience to becoming a published author in less than a year, offering practical insights for both aspiring authors and professionals navigating career pivots.

"We've reached an age today where this AI thing is so pervasive... the people that you have around you are going to be pivotal to our individual survival and commercial contribution."

"Don't walk in there and say I'm a CEO. As soon as you do that, you've pigeonholed yourself and the discussion basically is over."

"Network, network, network. Don't take anyone you meet for granted. Maintain relationships as deep and as wide as you can."

Books mentioned by Andrew Brummer:

• Start With Why by Simon Sinek
• Multipliers by Liz Wiseman
• Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
• Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• 10X is Easier Than 2X by Dan Sullivan
• Who Not How by Dan Sullivan
• Good Leaders Ask Great Questions by John C. Maxwell
• Mindset by Carol Dweck

1. Start Networking Early: Begin building professional relationships in your 20s, not when you need them
2. Lead with Authenticity: Focus on how you impact people's lives, not just your job title
3. Embrace the Pivot: Career changes at any age can lead to unexpected opportunities
4. Write from Experience: Your unique experiences and perspectives have value
5. Consistency Matters: Develop a personal brand that's recognizable across all platforms

Andrew Brummer is a leadership multiplier and operational strategist who extends CEO capacity and builds high-performance teams. As a Vistage Chair and maximizes his strengths and passion in bringing business leaders together in solving problems.  With experience across business, technical, and operational domains, Andrew brings a multidimensional perspective to complex challenges. 

Andrew actively mentors startups and emerging leaders globally, volunteering with organizations like TiE Atlanta. Known for his transparency, people-first approach, and exceptional problem-solving, he creates shared consciousness throughout organizations. His Strategic, Maximizer, Input, Arranger, Adaptability strengths reflect his ability to envision possibilities, develop people, and navigate complex environments with agility.

• Website: andrewbrummer.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbrummer/
• Books: Available on Amazon and through his website
• You Decide: https://a.co/d/aqftTpf
• Leading Magnanimously: Available in August

Thank you for listening. Be sure to subscribe and leave a 5-star review.

This episode was sponsored by Execuwright. We help business leaders and professionals to raise their visibility and get their words into the world by helping them to write and publish there book. If you have a book in your head, your heart or your soul, reach out to Jennifer and learn more about her mission with authors.

Connect with Jennifer:

Website: https://www.execuwright.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferwrightexecuwright/

Connect with The Author's Way Publishing on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/78771713

To join our free writer's group visit:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14164059/

In this captivating episode of The Author's Way Podcast, join us as we delve into the dynamic world of writing and book marketing with the incredibly talented Amy Lyle. As a successful author with two published books under her belt, Amy shares her invaluable insights, experiences, and expertise on navigating the intricate path of the literary landscape.

Amy Lyle doesn't just stop at writing; she's also a marketing maven, and she unveils her strategies for effectively promoting and selling her books. Whether you're an aspiring author or a book enthusiast, this episode offers a treasure trove of tips and inspiration to fuel your own literary endeavors.

To purchase Amy's books:

The Amy Binegar-Kimmes-Lyle Book of Failures: A Funny Memoir of Misteps, Inadequacies, and Faux Pas

https://a.co/d/hBC6AXW

We're All A Mess, It's Ok: A Collection of Funny Essays and One-liners about the Struggles of Everyday Life.

WE'RE ALL A MESS, IT'S OK: A COLLECTION OF FUNNY ESSAYS AND ONE-LINERS ABOUT THE STRUGGLES OF EVERYDAY LIFE

https://a.co/d/hMPDAL1

This episode was sponsored by Execuwright. We help business leaders and professionals to raise their visibility and get their words into the world by helping them to write and publish there book. If you have a book in your head, your heart or your soul, reach out to Jennifer and learn more about her mission with authors. You can reach her using the following links.

Website: https://www.execuwright.com

To join our free writer's group visit:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14164059/

In this episode, we launched our new book The Author's Way Journal: A 90-Day Journey to Finding Your Voice. This episode is part our of in-person series held at the Buckhead Club in Atlanta, GA where we hold podcast recording party in front of a live audience.

My colleague, Britt Anderson, acted as the moderator in this episode and interviewed Author, Jennifer Wright.

We talked about:

• Jennifer's story and why she created The Author's Way Journal
• How to use The Author's Way Journal to improve your writing skills
• How to get past perfectionism and other limiting beliefs to create your book
• How to address writer's block
• How to write your story
• Creating titles for your book

If you think you would make a great guest on the Author's Way Podcast visit www.execuwright.com/podcastguest

This episode was sponsored by Execuwright. We help business leaders and professionals to raise their visibility and get their words into the world by helping them to write and publish there book. If you have a book in your head, your heart or your soul, reach out to Jennifer and learn more about her mission with authors. You can reach her using the following links.

Website: https://www.execuwright.com

To join our free writer's group visit:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14164059/

Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferwrightexecuwright/

Find me on IG: @TheAuthorsWayProgram

Find me on Facebook: @TheAuthorsWay

As always, I would love to hear from you. If you have any ideas for episode topics, please share through one of the links above.

Now available, the new book by Jennifer, The Author's Way Journal: A 90-Day Journey to Finding Your Voice. This is a daily journal for writers at all stages in their development. It provides writers and authors a tool to create a daily practice of writing. It helps to develop skill and create new content daily and weekly.

www.execuwright.com/books

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave review and let us know what you liked.

In this episode, Jennifer had an opportunity to meet with a group of successful women from Chief and talk about writing their books.

We talked about:

• The value of sharing your story and experiences and how it can help you and your community
• Moving past limiting beliefs that might be preventing you from sharing your voice
• How to identify and write for your audience
• Forms of content that you can create that will help you to share your expertise and raise your professional profile
• Your next steps to begin to find and share your voice.

If you think you would make a great guest on the Author's Way Podcast visit www.execuwright.com/podcastguest

This episode was sponsored by Execuwright. We help business leaders and professionals to raise their visibility and get their words into the world by helping them to write and publish there book. If you have a book in your head, your heart or your soul, reach out to Jennifer and learn more about her mission with authors. You can reach her using the following links.

Website: https://www.execuwright.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferwrightexecuwright/

To join our free writer's group visit:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14164059/

As always, I would love to hear from you. If you have any ideas for episode topics, please share through one of the links above.

Now available, the new book by Jennifer, The Author's Way Journal: A 90-Day Journey to Finding Your Voice. This is a daily journal for writers at all stages in their development. It provides writers and authors a tool to create a daily practice of writing. It helps to develop skill and create new content daily and weekly.

Using this link if you order one book, you will receive 2 signed copies - one for you and one to gift to another writer in your life.

www.execuwright.com/books

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave review and let us know what you liked.

In this episode of The Author's Way podcast we spend time with Preston Poore, Author of Discipled Leader: Inspiration from a Fortune 500 Executive for Transformation Your Workplace by Pursuing Christ.

We explore a number of topics from talking about the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, to standup comedy to using procrastination to how he wrote and uses his book. In one poignant moments he talks about how he has those who have shared how his book has affected their lives. He also shares about going through the traditional publishing process and what he learned along the way.

Preston is available as a professional speaker for your events.

To connect with Preston:

https://prestonpoore.com/

To Purchase Preston's Book:

https://a.co/d/f5VYpRT

This episode was sponsored by Execuwright. We help business leaders and professionals to raise their visibility and get their words into the world by helping them to write and publish there book. If you have a book in your head, your heart or your soul, reach out to Jennifer and learn more about her mission with authors. You can reach her using the following links.

Website: https://www.execuwright.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferwrightexecuwright/

To join our free writer's group visit:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14164059/

As always, I would love to hear from you. If you have any ideas for episode topics, please share through one of the links above.

Now available, the new book by Jennifer, The Author's Way Journal: A 90-Day Journey to Finding Your Voice. This is a daily journal for writers at all stages in their development. It provides writers and authors a tool to create a daily practice of writing. It helps to develop skill and create new content daily and weekly.

Using this link if you order one book, you will receive 2 signed copies - one for you and one to gift to another writer in your life.

www.execuwright.com/books

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave review and let us know what you liked.

In this new episode of The Author's Way Podcast: The Journey to Finding Your Voice, we meet at Buckhead Club in Atlanta for the Meet the Author event presented by Buckhead Club Book Club.

I had a chance to have a great conversation with Kwame Johnson, Author and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta.

He shared about his story from growing up in Syracuse, becoming influenced to take a path that led him time in prison, to preparing to graduate high school while in prison, going to college and moving through his career to developing a strong desire to build mentorship in the community.

Kwame has used his path to become a leader in the areas of addressing poverty and youth mentorship.

Right now there about 300 little brothers and little sisters who are on the waiting list for mentors in Metro Atlanta. There are thousands more in communities around the country.

Please consider becoming a Big Brother or Big Sisters if you're in the Atlanta area, visit https://bbbsatl.org/be-a-big/

If you are not in metro Atlanta visit https://www.bbbs.org/ to find your local chapter.

This episode was sponsored by Execuwright. We help business leaders and professionals to raise their visibility and get their words into the world by helping them to write and publish there book. If you have a book in your head, your heart or your soul, reach out to Jennifer and learn more about her mission with authors. You can reach her using the following links.

Website: https://www.execuwright.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferwrightexecuwright/

To join our free writer's group visit:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14164059/

As always, I would love to hear from you. If you have any ideas for episode topics, please share through one of the links above.

Now available, the new book by Jennifer, The Author's Way Journal: A 90-Day Journey to Finding Your Voice. This is a daily journal for writers at all stages in their development. It provides writers and authors a tool to create a daily practice of writing. It helps to develop skill and create new content daily and weekly.

Using this link if you order one book, you will receive 2 signed copies - one for you and one to gift to another writer in your life.

www.execuwright.com/books

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave review and let us know what you liked.

In this episode of The Author's Way Podcast, we talk with Liz Lazarus, author of Thrillers: Free of Malice, Plea for Justice and Shades of Silence. Liz began her writing career based on a personal experience that she carried for years and finally decided that she had to write about it. Her first thriller was based on an experience from college.

Liz shares with us some important points for every writer.

• How she worked full time and was able to find time to write not only one book, but three with another on the way.
• How she developed her characters
• Her methods for building her stories
• Marketing techniques
• How she became published

Liz Lazarus grew up in Valdosta, Georgia, known for its high school football and being the last watering hole on highway I-75 before entering Florida. She was editor of her high school newspaper and salutatorian of her class. Lazarus graduated from The Georgia Institute of Technology with an engineering degree and Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management with an MBA. She went on to a successful career as an executive at General Electric’s Healthcare division. Later, she joined a leading consulting firm as a Managing Director, and is currently head of Operations for a healthcare start-up. 

Though her first novel, Free of Malice, released in the spring of 2016, is fiction, the attack on the main character is real, drawn from Lazarus’ own experience. It portrays the emotional realities of healing from a vicious, physical assault and tells the story of one woman’s obsession to force the legal system to acknowledge her right to self-defense. 

Purchase her books using the links below:

Free of Malice: https://a.co/d/bHIqP7b

Plea for Justice: https://a.co/d/jaPS5QK

Shades of Silence: https://a.co/d/7WZCeZf

Website: www.lizlazarus.com 

This episode was sponsored by Execuwright. We help business leaders and professionals to raise their visibility and get their words into the world by helping them to write and publish there book. If you have a book in your head, your heart or your soul, reach out to Jennifer and learn more about her mission with authors. You can reach her using the following links.

Website: https://www.execuwright.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferwrightexecuwright/

To join our free writer's group visit:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14164059/

As always, I would love to hear from you. If you have any ideas for episode topics, please share through one of the links above.

Pre-order the new book by Jennifer, The Author's Way Journal: A 90-Day Journey to Finding Your Voice.

www.execuwright.com/books

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave review and let us know what you liked.

On this episode of the The Author's Way Podcast we are doing a live recording at the Buckhead Club in Atlanta, Georgia. I talked with Cathryn Marshall about her two books: Virtual Wealth: How to Create Revenue and Amazing Relationships and Simple Fat Burn: Three Steps to Becoming Fit & Lean. See the links below for the option to purchase those books.

We talked about the process of getting started, why she decided to write her books, created the themes and got productive to finish both of the books and how she has used them to change her career and her business.

Cathryn Marshall has a personal mission to change lives by helping people create wealth, health, and a balanced life. She is a successful entrepreneur, internationally recognized author, and a passionate Business Consultant. Cathryn has helped many businesses scale and leverage their expertise with her knowledge and experience. She has a lengthy career in the fitness industry and as a professional networker. She has exceptional expertise in digital marketing, relationship building and sales.

Key Quote: "It just catapulted my career. It made such a difference to become a published author and have that (book) like a big business card."

Please use the links below to learn more about Cathryn and to order her books.

This episode was sponsored by Execuwright. At Execuwright, we help business leaders and professionals to raise their visibility and get their words into the world by helping them to write and publish there book.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virtualwealth/

Website: https://www.cathrynmarshall.com

To purchase Virtual Wealth: https://a.co/d/5yWrvP5

To purchase Simple Fat Burn: https://a.co/d/0LwEG1Y

This episode was sponsored by Execuwright. We help business leaders and professionals to raise their visibility and get their words into the world by helping them to write and publish there book. If you have a book in your head, your heart or your soul, reach out to Jennifer and learn more about her mission with authors. You can reach her using the following links.

Website: https://www.execuwright.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferwrightexecuwright/

To join our free writer's group visit:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14164059/

As always, I would love to hear from you. If you have any ideas for episode topics, please share through one of the links above.

Pre-order the new book by Jennifer, The Author's Way Journal: A 90-Day Journey to Finding Your Voice.

www.execuwright.com/books

This week we are joined by Dr. Anthony Perdue Founder and CEO of Leadstrong, LLC, a leadership development and coaching firm. helps leaders improve employee and team engagement through purpose, emotional intelligence, and strengths-based leadership development training, coaching, and consulting. He is a GALLUP® Certified Strengths Coach, an MHS Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach and holds a CDR Assessment Coaching Certification. To have a conversation visit Dr. Perdue at www.leadstrong.net

His book, Purpose to Power: Your Journey to a Life of Meaning, Fulfillment and Impact.

"This book was written for anyone who wants to understand the power they have within through finding and living with purpose and anyone who is determined to unleash and develop into the best version of themselves for maximum success in life."

This week's conversation took some very interesting paths. We spent some time talking about leadership, culture, emotional intelligence and how we can navigation in the changing workplace environments.

We also had some great conversation about his book. We talked about how he got started and really worked through developing all of the concepts for the book. We also discussed the benefits that he has gotten from having his book available.

I think you will enjoy.

Links:

To purchase Dr. Anthony's book: https://www.leadstrong.net/products

Interested in coaching services: https://www.leadstrong.net/leadership-coaching

This episode was sponsored by Execuwright. We help business leaders and professionals to raise their visibility and get their words into the world by helping them to write and publish there book.

If you have a book in your head, your heart or your soul, reach out to Jennifer and learn more about her mission with authors. You can reach her using the following links.

email: [email protected]

Website: www.execuwright.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferwrightexecuwright/

To join our free writer's group visit:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14164059/

As always, I would love to hear from you. If you have any ideas for episode topics, please share through one of the links above.

Pr-order the new book by Jennifer, The Author's Way Journal: A 90-Day Journey to Finding Your Voice.

www.execuwright.com/books