Uncorking a Story

Uncorking a Story

By Michael CarlonComedySociety & CultureArtsBooks
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Uncorking a Story episodes

  • Writing for Everyone, with K.K. Weakley

    K.K.  Weakley was born and reared in Wexford Ireland. She has written 11 books and plays for stage. K.K. loves to read historical fiction and a good love story kind of book and writes tales of castles, warriors, hell demons, witches and whatever else comes to her mind. Her latest series is Sekhet Saga which includes three books and one on the way. 

    Key Topics:

    1. How K.K.’s fascination with Irish Folklore influenced her fantasy and horror writing
    2. Her fascination with the 17th century
    3. Finding an agent and getting a book deal
    4. The importance of working collaboratively with your agent, editor, and publisher
    5. The importance for writers to have a strong support system


      6. Buy the Sekhet Saga:

      Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FRosgO


      Connect with K.K. Weakley

      Website: http://www.kweakley.com

      Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/3PLpXlg

      Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kkweakley/

      Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkkweakley/

      Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorKKWeakley

      LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/k-k-weakley-b7550928/

      TikToc: https://www.tiktok.com/@kkweakley


      Connect with Mike

      Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

      Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

      Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

      TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory

      Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

      Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory

      LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


      If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.




      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

      30 min
    6. Getting Happy, with Tori Whitaker

      Tori Whitaker is a bestselling author who also belongs to the Bourbon Women Association and the Historical Novel Society. Her work has appeared in the Historical Novels Review and Bookmarks magazine. She graduated from Indiana University, is an alum of the Yale Writers' Workshop, and is recently retired from a national law firm where she served as chief marketing officer. She joins me today on Uncorking a Story to talk about her career and latest book, A Matter of Happiness.


      Key Topics:


      1. Finding her voice as an author later in life
      2. Achieving success with her third manuscript
      3. Finding an agent and getting published
      4. The inspiration behind A Matter of Happiness
      5. How writing and publishing has stoked Tori’s confidence 
      6. You can do more than you think is possible


        7. Buy A Matter of Happiness

        Amazon: https://amzn.to/3hn98At

        Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781542038072


        Connect with Tori:

        Website: https://toriwhitaker.com/

        Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tori.whitaker.37/

        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ToriWhitakerAuthor/

        Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToriLWhitaker


        Connect with Mike

        Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

        Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

        Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

        TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory

        Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory

        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


        If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.




        Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

        46 min
      7. Getting Weird, with Eric G. Wilson

        What’s wrong with being a little weird? I am fortunate in my career to meet new people every week through the work that I do and let me tell you, I definitely get a chance to see a good cross-section of humanity. Who do I remember the most? The ones who are, shall I say, a little off kilter. Who experience the world just a little bit (and sometimes a lot) differently than those in the center of the normal curve of distribution. To answer my own question, there’s nothing wrong with being a little weird; in fact, we should celebrate weirdness. I know that my guest today, Eric G. Wilson agrees with me. After all, he wrote a book on how to be weird!

        Meet Eric Wilson

        Eric is the Thomas H. Pritchard Professor of English at Wake Forest University, where he teaches creative writing and British Romantic poetry. He is author of Against Happiness, Everyone Loves a Good Train Wreck, and Dream-Child: A life of Charles Lamb. He recently joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about his career and latest book, How to Be Weird: An Off-Kilter Guide to Living a One-of-a-Kind Life.

        Key Topics:


        1. How advice from a therapist encouraged Eric to change his goals as a parent.
        2. How Bill Murray changed his life.
        3. How he was able to pivot from academic writing to more creative writing.
        4. Why it’s important to let our inner weirdness out.
        5. Exercises for enhancing our creativity.


          6. Buy How to Be Weird: An Off-Kilter Guide to Living a One-of-a-Kind Life

          Amazon: https://amzn.to/3V0fZxz

          Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780143136576


          Connect with Eric

          Website: http://www.ericgwilson.net/

          Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericgwilson777/

          Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eric.g.wilson.3

          Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericgwilson


          Connect with Mike

          Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

          Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

          Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

          Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

          Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory

          LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


          If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.


          Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

          38 min
        6. Radio Wave Illumination, with Mark Thompson

          I like to tell people that I started Uncorking a Story as a way to give authors a platform for promoting their books, but the reality is that I had an ulterior motive behind starting the show—I wanted the opportunity to pick the brains of successful authors so that I could learn from them. As an author myself, what better way to learn from masters of the craft than having the chance to chat with them for an hour or so? Well, my worlds collided recently when I had the opportunity to interview Mark Thompson about his radio career and memoir, Don’t Bump the Record Kid: My adventures with Mark and Brian. I mean, what better way to become a better podcaster than by having the chance to interview an inductee of the radio hall of fame?

          Meet Mark Thompson:

          Mark is world-renowned radio host and one half of the infamous Mark and Brian, which was heard every morning for twenty-five years on the nationally syndicated Mark and Brian Show originating from KLOS Radio in LA. Mark joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss his career and memoir Don’t Bump the Record, Kid: My Adventures with Mark and Brian. 100% of the books proceeds will go to saving the lives of puppies and kittens in Southern California


          Key Topics:


          1. How the light from his radio brought Mark comfort during his childhood nights in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
          2. How his decision to leave home after high school and pursue a career in radio impacted the relationship Mark had with his father.
          3. Mark’s rise to fame in the radio industry.
          4. Why, when his successful radio gig went from being a joy to a job, Mark decided to call it quits with his longtime partner.
          5. The story behind the charity Mark is supporting with the book


            6. Buy Don’t Bump the Record Kid

            Website: https://myadventureswithmarkandbrian.com/

            Amazon: https://amzn.to/3GiDEWf


            Connect with Mark:

            Website: https://myadventureswithmarkandbrian.com/

            TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@markandlyndapodcast


            Connect with Mike

            Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

            Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

            Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

            Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

            Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory

            LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


            If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.


            Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

            55 min
          6. Womentoring, with Michelle Renaldo Ferguson

            Over the course of my career I can point to three people who were excellent mentors for me—people who really helped shape who I am not only as a qualitative researcher, but as a person. They are Susanne Heincke, Liz Moore, and Paul Jacobson. Each helped to inspire me and prepare me for one of the most non-traditional careers in marketing and I am grateful for all the time they spent teaching, advising and even consoling me over the years. I bring this up because today’s guest on Uncorking a Story, Michelle Renaldo Ferguson, knows a thing or two about mentoring and that’s quite the understatement since she wrote a book on it and joined me to talk about it.

            Meet Michelle Renaldo Ferguson:

            Michelle Renaldo Ferguson is a global transformational executive,  self-proclaimed serial mentor and strategic advisor.  She spent most of her career at S&P Global/McGraw where she co-founded a global mentoring program which ignited her passion for mentoring.  She was acknowledged as an advocate for women and is a proud founding member of Chief, the only private network focused on connecting and supporting women executive leaders. She joined me on Uncorking a story to discuss her book, Women Mentoring Women, which came out of Michelle's passion for mentoring.


            Key Topics:


            1. The importance of mentoring, particularly for women, in corporate America.
            2. Michelle’s motivation for writing a book on mentoring.
            3. The importance of having a supportive network during the writing process.
            4. Michelle’s belief that everyone has a book in them.
            5. Why sometimes good enough is good enough.


              6. Buy Women Mentoring Women

              Amazon: https://amzn.to/3V2i78c

              Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9798885041263


              Connect with Michelle:

              Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelleferguson17/

              Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.r.ferguson/

              LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleferguson1/


              Connect with Mike

              Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

              Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

              Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

              Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

              Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory

              LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


              If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.


              Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

              31 min
            6. Coming of Age, with Sarah McCraw Crow

              My eighty-nine year old mother has a catch phrase. When she doesn’t know what to say, she’ll typically belt on, “It’s all good.” Even though her age has robbed her of her short-term memory, she remains very optimistic and, in general, happy. Growing up, if I was ever anxious about something, she’d frequently say to me, “Things will happen on their own time.” I was reminded of that during my conversation with today’s guest, Sarah McCraw Crow, who talked about having a number of manuscripts “In the jar,” before one was finally selected for publication. Sometimes being in a different stage of life, and the experience that comes with it, infuses our writing with the wisdom and insights that are required to make a manuscript really stand out in the eyes of an agent and/or publisher. 

              Meet Sarah McCraw Crow:

              When it comes to fiction writing (and reading), Sarah is obsessed with women's lives and the drama of family life. She also loves the Seventies. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Stanford University, and Vermont College of Fine Arts, Sarah lives with her family on an old farm in New Hampshire. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her debut novel, The Wrong Kind of Woman.

              Key Topics:


              1. The story behind the title of her debut novel.
              2. Why Sarah likes writing about the 70s.
              3. Why it’s so important to give yourself permission to keep writing.
              4. The importance of starting a new project when your existing manuscript is out for submission.
              5. The importance of thinking of yourself as a writer and creative person.


                6. Buy The Wrong Kind of Woman

                Amazon: https://amzn.to/3TxpUKa

                Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780778312314


                Connect with Sarah:

                Website: https://sarahmccrawcrow.com

                Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahmccrawcrow/

                Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/sarahmccrawcrow/

                Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahmcrow


                Connect with Mike

                Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

                Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

                Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

                Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

                Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory

                LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


                If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.


                Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                41 min
              6. Getting Creative Together, with Steven Kowalski

                This is going to sound funny coming from the author of eight novels, but there was a time I didn’t consider myself to be creative. Growing up, I dreaded art class because I can’t draw to save my life and I always linked creativity with the ability to draw. On top of that, I was somewhat good at math and science while my twin brother excelled at English (and, aside from being 3 inches taller than me, he could draw!). Why am I bringing this up? Well, my conversation with today’s guest, Steven Kowalski, had me taking a walk down memory lane after hearing how he defines creativity as something that isn’t an ability but rather a process.

                Meet Steven Kowalski:

                Steven is a leading voice in the global movement for conscious creativity. He has more than 25 years of experience as an organizational development expert facilitating the creativity of scientists, engineers, business leaders, and professionals across industries to blaze new trails, catalyze creative potential, and deliver real-world innovation. He joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about his career and book, Creative Together: Sparking Innovation in the New World of Work.

                Key Topics:


                1. How Steven let this book come through him.
                2. How changing roles inside his company helped fuel the creative impetus for his book.
                3. The relationship between creativity and purpose.
                4. Why it is important to define creativity broadly vs. narrowly.
                5. Why Steven defines creativity as our natural potential to invent solutions, new approaches to the opportunities we face, or we design for ourselves.


                  6. Buy Creative Together: Sparking Innovation in the New World of Work

                  Amazon: https://amzn.to/3G2KnDC

                  Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781774581629


                  Connect with Steven:

                  Website: https://www.stevenkowalski.com/

                  Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenkowalski/


                  Connect with Mike

                  Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

                  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

                  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

                  Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

                  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory

                  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


                  If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.


                  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                  45 min
                6. Shall All Be Saved, with Karen Winnick

                  Today’s guest on Uncorking a Story, Karen Winnick, reminds me so much of my mother. Both are from Brooklyn and are animal lovers who would rather set a spider free than squish it. But unless my mother has been hiding the fact that she is a successful children’s book author searching to teach children about compassion for animals through her writing, that’s where the similarities may end.

                  Meet Karen Winnick:

                  Karen is the author of more than a dozen picture books for children, most of which she illustrated. An animal lover, she serves on several boards devoted to the well-being of animals. She joins me today to talk about her life and latest book, Can You Spot the Leopard?: An African Safari, which was inspired by a real Safari Karen went on before the pandemic.

                  Key Topics:

                  1. How a friend’s eccentric pair of shoes inspired her first attempt at writing an animated children’s book entitled Happy Soles.
                  2. Why she wants to teach children compassion for animals through her picture books.
                  3. The importance of her work giving children a voice.
                  4. How she stayed connected to her passion of reading to children throughout the pandemic, and the new opportunities it brought her.
                  5. What we can learn from disabled animals.


                    6. Buy Can You Spot the Leopard?: An African Safari: 

                    Amazon: https://amzn.to/3U0quRM

                    Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781626349759


                    Connect with Karen:

                    Website: https://karenbwinnick.com/

                    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenbwinnick/

                    Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/171244.Karen_B_Winnick


                    Connect with Mike

                    Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

                    Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

                    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

                    Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

                    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory

                    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


                    If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.


                    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                    40 min
                  6. Do No Harm, with Richard Gallagher, MD

                    When I was a kid there were a few things I thought would be more of big deal in adulthood including quicksand, killer bees, and satanists. Now I am not saying these things don’t exist, just not at the level we were scared into believing as children. Dr. Richard Gallagher, though, might argue about the last item on my list as he’s spent the past quarter of a century investigating cases of demonic possession from a medical expert’s point of view—but that is his story to share!

                    Meet Richard Gallagher, MD:

                    A board-certified psychiatrist and highly experienced clinician and teacher, Dr. Gallagher  is a professor of psychiatry at NY Medical College and a psychoanalyst on the faculty of Columbia University. In addition, he is the longest-standing member of the International Association of Exorcists since the early 1990's, serving for a time as a scientific adviser on its governing board. He has devoted many years to distinguishing the rare cases of overt demonic attacks from the much more common conditions of medical and psychiatric disorders.

                    He joined me on Uncorking a Story about his career and book Demonic Foes: My Twenty-Five Years as a Psychiatrist Investigating Possessions, Diabolic Attacks, and the Paranormal. 

                    Key Topics:

                    1. How he got invited to investigate suspected cases of demonic possession.
                    2. The numerous criteria he uses to differentiate between mental illnesses such as dissociative disorder and demonic possession.
                    3. Why staying involved in the work relates to why he became a physician in the first place.
                    4. Being approached by A-List Hollywood filmmakers to make a movie inspired by his book and experience.
                    5. What Hollywood gets right about demonic possession and what it gets wrong.


                      6. Buy Demonic Foes: My Twenty-Five Years as a Psychiatrist Investigating Possessions, Diabolic Attacks, and the Paranormal

                      Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UhemM8

                      Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780062876478


                      Connect with Dr. Richard Gallagher:

                      Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18483110.Richard_Gallagher


                      Connect with Mike

                      Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

                      Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

                      Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

                      Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

                      Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory

                      LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


                      If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.




                      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                      51 min
                    6. Finding Meaning, with Nathanael Garrett Novosel

                      My guest today, Nathanael Garret Novosel, was just six years old when he started questioning the meaning of life. When I was younger, I questioned it as well, but we went about it in different ways. For example, Nate asked big existential questions whereas yours truly watched Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life. It’s no surprise, then, that Nate grew up to write a book on finding purpose and meaning in life, and I’m on the other side of the microphone asking him questions.

                      Meet Nathanael Garrett Novosel:

                      Nathanael is a professional researcher and advisor with over 20 years of experience studying individual and group behavior. Over that time, he has researched psychology, evolutionary biology, organizational best practices, leadership decision making, business, technology, finance, and philosophy to understand how the world as we know it works and why.

                      He spent much of his career using the insights from this research to help the world’s leading executives solve their most pressing organizational challenges and create their strategic plans. Noticing the common drivers of success in all areas of life, he decided to devote his research, problem-solving, and advisory skills to helping people live the best lives possible.

                      He joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss his new book The Meaning of Life: A guide to finding your life's purpose. 


                      Key Topics:


                      1. The impact his father leaving the home when he was 5 years old had on his choice to write this book.
                      2. Why growth is so important  in finding meaning and purpose in life.
                      3. Identifying the influencers on our emotions and how we can change them.
                      4. The importance of taking action.
                      5. Why having faith, not necessarily religious faith, can lead us to a more successful life.


                        6. Buy The Meaning of Life: A guide to finding your life's purpose:

                        Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sPhdjC

                        Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781948220019


                        Connect with Nathanael:

                        Website: https://yourmeaninginlife.com/

                        Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themeaningoflifebook/

                        Twitter: https://twitter.com/lifethebook

                        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifetheBook/

                        YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDu5IsEGvKXLZefdTBbmaA


                        Connect with Mike

                        Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

                        Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

                        Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

                        Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

                        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory

                        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


                        If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.




                        Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                        51 min

                      About Uncorking a Story

                      From the publisher's feed

                      Listen in to Uncorking a Story, where we pop the cork on hidden narratives and delve deep into the brilliant minds of your favorite authors. Get ready to unlock the magic behind your favorite books,…