The Danny and Park Novels Good News Podcast

 Today’s guest is Vee, from VeeTellsTales on Instagram. I came across Vee’s page and was immediately fascinated by the artwork on the cover on her books as well as her photos. I reached out to her to see if she’d be interested in doing a podcast episode and she agreed, so here she is.

 I’m always in awe of authors who manage to put together such a complex and wonderful universe in their mind, then transfer it to the written word. I can’t even imagine writing a novel with over 130,000 word count, much less a first novel. Incredible. Our conversation covered a wide range of topics and that’s why I enjoy doing these podcasts so much with people that I’ve never met. Just two people from different backgrounds, talking and listening to each other. As I close this episode out, I want to reiterate the last point Vee made: every day when you get up, try to make someone else’s day.

Check out her Amazon page here: http://amazon.com/author/veranice

And on Instagram: @veetellstales

Take care of each other, and thanks for listening.

 Today’s guest is musician Kari Smith. Kari writes, produces, and sings her own music. Oh yeah, she also plays the guitar, piano and is bilingual. Kari talks to me about growing up in Richmond, planning a trip to Austin, then winding up in Nashville for a decade. 

How many folks out there have the courage to pack everything up, move to another state and follow a dream?  Kari’s got lots of guts and drive, and she’s not showing any signs of slowing down. Make sure you head over to her website to check out her music, and if you get a chance to catch one of her live shows, jump on it.

The music playing in the background of the Intro and Outro is one of Kari's songs, Gypsy of Love.

Her web address is: http://karismithmusic.com

Take care of each other and thanks for listening.

Today’s guest is Bri Stokes, a poet I came across on Instagram. Bri’s page fascinated me because of the artwork that she uses as the background for her poetry. I reached out to her and asked if she’d be willing to come on the podcast and talk about the art, her poetry and her outlook on life. Luckily, she agreed and here she is. 

After you listen to our conversation, you have to go and check out her Instagram page; her poetry will amaze you. 

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: I am always in awe of inner strength and seek it out wherever I can. All of my guests have it and I’m eternally grateful to them for sharing it with me and with my listeners. 

Try to find your own self compassion and take care of yourself while you take care of others.

Thanks for listening. Bri’s Instagram handle is below:

bri_stokes_writes

Today’s guests are Dr. Denise Gorondy Toderico and her husband, Ben Toderico. Denise is an equine veterinarian and Ben is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and former Richmond Police officer. Back in 2016, their lives changed drastically when Denise was  struck by a car while on a run in Hanover County. The driver of the car didn’t stop to help, but a bicyclist did. 

 With all the drama and negativity that we can be exposed to every day, it’s so easy to forget that positive energy exists. More often than not, we’re bombarded with hatred, divisiveness and manufactured outrage from the media, the entertainment industry and our so-called leaders. It’s convenient to just pick up our phones, turn on the television, or tune in to a podcast and settle for whatever is being presented. The newspaper adage, if it bleeds, it leads, is still an apt description for what many consider entertainment. But if we dig a little deeper, and ignore the hate that they’re trying to sell, we’ll find that there’s more positive energy out there than negative. 

So, what’s your positive?

Take care of each other, and thanks for listening.

 Today’s guest is Renee Richardson. Renee reached out to me and asked if she could come on the podcast and speak about the love she has for her husband, his recent death and how she’s coping with it. 

 If you were given the opportunity and control to choose, would you choose quantity of life or quality of life? How would you make that decision? What would influence you? 

As a society, I think many of us have a hard time dealing with death and become uncomfortable in our conversations with someone who has recently lost a loved one.

In the conversation with Renee, she speaks of people who meant well, but made statements about knowing how she feels, when if they haven’t lost a close loved one, they have no idea. They can sympathize, but not emphasize.

Conversely , the person who has lost someone needs to let well wishers know what will help and what will not.

The bottom line is that we’re all in this life together, and when a life ends on this earth, those of us left here need to take care of each other to the best of our abilities.

Thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is author and retired NYPD captain Robert Bryan. I came across Robert’s name from an Amazon recommendation. There was this book series called Hairbag Nation that sounded interesting. I knew that hairbag was a term used by the NYPD back in the 70’s and 80’s, so I decided to see what Robert’s books were all about. I bought the first one, read about twenty pages, then bought the rest of the series. Yes, they’re that good. 

By the way, I should mention that Robert and I planned the date of this podcast through Facebook messenger. About a week had passed between the last time we communicated and the date of my call to him. So I set up my equipment and placed the call. He answered and I said, “Hey Robert, its Jamie Baynes. How are you?”

He said, “I’m great, thanks.”

I said, “Are you ready to do this?”

In his unmistakable New York Accent he replied, “Do what? Who’s this?”

Luckily, it got better from there as you can tell by our conversation. Robert was an absolute blast to talk to and hopefully he’ll come back to do another episode. 

Until then, head over to his website I put in the description of the podcast, or go to his Amazon page. 

Take care of each other and thanks for listening.

http://www.robertbryanauthor.webnode.com/

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is bestselling author, Mike McCrary. MIke’s the author of multiple book series as well as standalone novels. Mike came onto my radar with his Remo Cobb series, a nod to the pulpy, hard-boiled books written by Elmore Leonard, Raymond Chandler and the like. Recently, I got an email announcing his newest book (which I bought!) and I decided to reach out to him and see if he’d be willing to come on the podcast and do an episode. He graciously agreed and here he is. Take a listen to our interview and let me know what you think. Once you're done, check out Mike's bio below, then head over to his website.

I’d like to thank Mike for coming on the podcast and I hope he keeps on writing his fantastic novels.

Take care of one another and thanks for listening.

Bio

Mike is a screenwriter and the author of the Remo Cobb series, Relentless and Genuinely Dangerous. His shorter work has appeared in ThugLit, Shotgun Honey and Out of the Gutter and Remo Went Rogue has been translated for French publication.

He’s been a waiter, a securities trader, dishwasher, bartender, investment analyst and an unpaid Hollywood intern.

He has quit corporate America, come back, been fired, been promoted, been fired again. Currently, he writes stories about questionable people who make questionable decisions.

mikemccrary.com

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is bestselling author Jason Kasper. I came across Jason a few years ago when I got an email from him about his debut novel, Greatest Enemy. I devoured the book in about two days and was hooked. Since that debut, he’s closed out that initial story arc and started two more novel series. To say he’s a prolific writer would be an understatement. His novels impress me, but what has impressed me more is that he always takes the time to respond to my emails. As you’ll hear in our interview, he specifically makes time to answer emails from fans, which I think is the true measure of not only an excellent writer, but a good person. Take a listen to our conversation and let me know what you think.

Once you get done listening, make sure you check out Jason's Bio below, as well as all of his books. You won't be disappointed.

 Jason Kasper is the USA Today bestselling author of the Shadow Strike thriller series among others. Before his writing career he served in the US Army, beginning as a Ranger private and ending as a Green Beret captain. Jason is a West Point graduate and a veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and was an avid ultramarathon runner, skydiver, and BASE jumper, all of which inspire his fiction.

Books referenced in podcast:

Story by Robert McKee: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042FZVOY 

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078VWDNKT 

Greatest Enemy (American Mercenary #1): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2NLNH5 

The Spider Heist (Spider Heist #1): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X33LVDL 

The Enemies of My Country (Shadow Strike #1): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083Y4KC7Q 

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is Jeremy Forsyth, an author from Johannesburg, South Africa. I had gotten on Jeremy’s email list when he was seeking reviewers for his most recent book. I emailed him back and asked if he wanted to be on a podcast episode. He did and here he is. A couple programming notes: since the call is between the US and South Africa, there is a bit of delay between when I ask the questions and when he answers them. And there’s some interference on a few questions. Other than these quirks, I hope you enjoy our discussion.

And make sure to connect with Jeremy:

Website: www.jeremyforsyth.co.za

Facebook: Jeremy Forsyth

Instagram: Jays_Andrew

Twitter: Jeremy Forsyth

Welcome back to the podcast. Today’s guest is Timothy Walker a former Richmond Police detective and current music producer, graphic artist, business owner and all around great guy. 

 Despite being a police officer for over 30yrs, he still maintains a sunny outlook on life and it shows in our interview.

Make sure that you head on over to his website where you can find all of his work:

https://linktr.ee/timpusha

Take care of each other and stay positive.

Thanks for listening