Uncorking a Story

Uncorking a Story

By Michael CarlonComedySociety & CultureArtsBooks
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Uncorking a Story episodes

  • Freedom Through Surrender, with Brian O'Hare

    I believe that, no matter how old we are, we never stop trying to secure the approval of one or both of our parents. While my twin brother was always searching for our father’s affections, I was always trying to vie for my mother’s approval in everything I did. Today’s guest, Brian O’Hare can relate. Imagine having a larger than life character as a father—someone who casts so wide a shadow, you might lose yourself in it. Well, that’s where Brian’s story begins!

    Meet Brian O’Hare:

    Brian  is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and former US Marine Corps officer. His storytelling career began in a Baltimore bar, the legendary Club Charles, where director John Waters cast him to appear in his film Cry Baby. Currently, Brian an award-winning writer and filmmaker living in Los Angeles. His work has appeared in War, Literature and the Arts; Santa Fe Writers Project; Hobart; and other journals, and he has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes. He was named a Writing Fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and recently served as Visiting Writer at CUNY/Kingsborough. He joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss his career and new book, Surrender. 

    Key Topics:


    1. Feeling as if we have to constantly search for the approval of a parent.
    2. The danger of denying parts of self to appease another person.
    3. How writing Surrender was Brian’s way of breaking the cycle of constantly searching for approval in his life for his own benefit and for the benefit of his children.
    4. Why, in Brian’s case, the notion of surrender ironically equates to freedom.


      5. Buy Surrender:

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

      Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780815611509


      Connect with Brian:

      Website: https://brianohare.com

      Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bohare13x/

      Twitter: https://twitter.com/bohare13x


      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.

      48 min
    5. From Physics to Prose, with Dilani Kahawala

      Most people who now make their living as authors had a day job at some point. It is common for me to interview former teachers, professors, journalists and, interestingly, lawyers, but today was the first time I got to interview a former theoretical physicist—and there was nothing theoretical about this conversation!

      Meet Dilani Kahawala:

      Dilani earned her Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Harvard and began her career by working on extra dimensions. She figured out pretty quickly that there weren’t many people who wanted to read her work as a theoretical physicist, so she began exploring new dimensions in fantasy fiction. Many of the characters in her stories are inspired by the various cultures she grew up in. Born in Sri Lanka, she has lived in New Zealand and Australia and now lives in the United States and joins me today to talk about her debut novel, Blood Moon Prophecy.

      Key Topics:


      1. Why Dilani was attracted to studying theoretical physics and why she ultimately left the field.
      2. How growing up on three continents has impacted her writing.
      3. The backstory to her debut novel, Blood Moon Prophecy.
      4. What Dilani has learned about character development.
      5. Dilani’s point of view on whether time travel is possible.


        6. Buy Blood Moon Prophecy

        Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FywhK8

        Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9798986443706


        Connect with Dilani

        Website: https://dilaniwrites.com/

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

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

        Twitter: https://twitter.com/DilaniWrites


        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.

        34 min
      6. The Human Perspective, with Alli Frank and Asha Youmans

        For so many of us writers, the actual act of writing is a solitary process. We write alone and maybe, after a while we will share something with a confidant or perhaps our agent. Of course, at the end of the first draft it will go to an editor and, at that point, writing becomes more of a collaborative process. Well, today’s guests do things a little bit differently—Alli Frank and Asha Youmans met while teaching at the same school. One day, Alli approached Asha with the idea to co-write a novel and the rest is history. They joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about their career and latest novel Never Meant to Meet You.

        Meet Alli and Asha:

        Alli Frank has worked in education for more than twenty years, from boisterous public high schools to small, progressive private schools. A graduate of Cornell and Stanford University, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two daughters. 

        Asha Youmans spent two decades teaching elementary school students. A graduate of University of California, Berkeley, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. 

        Key Topics:


        1. How working at a small, progressive private school influenced Alli and Asha’s first, and subsequent, novels.
        2. What it is like to write collaboratively.
        3. How humor can be a vehicle for bigger life lessons.
        4. Why we can learn important lessons through fiction as well as non fiction.
        5. What it means to write from the human perspective.


          6. Buy Never Meant to Meet You

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

          Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781542034104


          Connect with Ali and Asha

          Website:https://alliandasha.com/

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

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

          Twitter: https://twitter.com/alliandasha


          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.

          47 min
        6. Quiet on the Set, with Lygia Day Peñaflor

          How well do you remember high school? Chances are you are more likely to remember the big events that happened—prom, the homecoming dance where you spilled spiked fruit punch all over your crisp white shirt*, and graduation, but would you remember something as random as someone coming up to you and saying something off beat? Probably not, right? Well, my guest today not only remembered a random (and creepy) comment in crisp detail, it inspired her to craft a novel about it! 

          *That totally didn’t happen to me.

          Meet Lygia Day Peñaflor:

          Lygia Day Peñaflor is the author of ALL OF THIS IS TRUE, and UNSCRIPTED JOSS BYRD. She also teaches young Hollywood stars on television and movie sets. Her students have included cast members of Gossip Girl, Boardwalk Empire, Spielberg's West Side Story, and others. She recently joined me to talk about her career and latest novel CREEP: A LOVE STORY.


          Key Topics:


          1. How she found her passion for writing and storytelling at a young age.
          2. The impact she’s had on the lives of her students.
          3. What it’s like teaching child actors on set.
          4. Her path to publishing and the ups and downs along the way.
          5. The real life inspiration behind her latest novel Creep: A Love Story.


            6. Buy Creep: A Love Story

            Amazon: https://amzn.to/3SUDKa9

            Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780358692928


            Connect with Lygia

            Website: https://www.lygiadaypenaflor.com/

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

            Twitter: https://twitter.com/lygiaday


            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 Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get yours.


            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. Taking the Red Pill, with Suzanne Yatim Aslam

            Parenting is supposed to come naturally to us, right? Especially moms! After the baby (or babies in my case) arrives, those motherhood instincts are supposed to kick in and you are supposed to know exactly what to do, right? Wrong! Postpartum depression is real, and many mothers don’t realize they are living with it. This leads to feelings of shame, guilt, and oftentimes resentment. Now you may be asking yourself, “Mike is not a mother, why is he talking about postpartum depression?” Well, my guest today, Suzanne Yatim Aslam, was living with postpartum depression and turned to writing to help manage her way through it. This ultimately led to a book called Post Pardon Me, which she came on Uncorking a Story to chat about.

            Meet Suzanne Yatim Aslam:

            Suzanne is a former actor and Miss Arab USA turned writer. Her personal experience with postpartum depression and anxiety left her feeling alone and confused. In her book Post Pardon Me, she addresses the dark thoughts that so many mothers have but are too scared to say out loud. She's thrilled to get this book into the hands of mothers who may be struggling with postpartum depression and anxiety.

            Key Topics:


            1. How Suzanne’s mental health changed after becoming a mother.
            2. How she turned to writing and visualization to help process and manage her postpartum depression.
            3. How telling her story not only helped her address her feelings, but how her story has been therapeutic to other women who saw themselves on Suzanne’s pages.
            4. Why Suzanne felt as if she had imposter syndrome when going through the publishing process.
            5. Why she’d tell her younger self to not take things so seriously and to play more.


              6. Buy Post Pardon Me:

              Amazon: https://amzn.to/3EQk4jF


              Connect with Suzanne 

              Website: https://www.suzanneyatimaslam.com/

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


              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 Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get yours.


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

              43 min
            6. Such Sharp Teeth, with Rachel Harrison

              In my opinion, werewolves don’t get enough attention in the horror genre. Vampires are a bit higher on the food chain as are traditional slashers, but when was the last time you could point to a good werewolf character in a horror novel? Well, the wait is over with Rachel Harrison’s Such Sharp Teeth!

              Meet Rachel Harrison:

              Rachel Harrison took the horror genre by storm with debut novel The Return, which was praised by readers and reviewers and called marvelous by the New York Times. Then, in her highly anticipated sophomore novel, Cackle, she delivered a clever and splendidly witchy look at women’s relationships and self-empowerment that was hailed a must-read by USA Today, Elle, Bustle, Buzzfeed and more. She’s back with a new novel to get you into the Halloween spirit. SUCH SHARP TEETH is a wild, witty and razor-sharp horror novel about a young woman in need of a transformation who finds herself in touch with the animal inside.

              Key Topics:

              1. Why authors shouldn’t move the goalposts when celebrating their successes.
              2. Why Rachel chose to write in the horror genre.
              3. Rachel’s belief that monsters help create tension easier than other antagonists.
              4. How she used Twitter successfully to find an agent.
              5. Words of advice she’d offer to aspiring authors.


                6. Buy Such Sharp Teeth

                Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Voa1rU

                Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780593545829


                Connect with Rachel Harrison

                Website: https://www.rachel-harrison.com/

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

                Twitter: https://twitter.com/rachfacelogic


                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 Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get yours.


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

                36 min
              6. The Stories of Ourselves, with Barbara Linn Probst

                After interviewing almost two hundred authors on Uncorking a Story I’ve come to believe that the real superpower authors wield isn’t their ability to string words together, but to find stories simply by paying attention to everyday occurrences and being very curious about them. I was reminded of this while interviewing the celestial Barbara Linn Probst.

                Meet Barbara Linn Probst:

                Barbara Linn Probst is an award-winning author of contemporary women’s fiction living. Her acclaimed novels Queen of the Owls (2020) and The Sound Between the Notes (2021) were gold and silver medalists for prestigious national awards, including the Sarton and Nautilus Book Awards. The Sound Between the Notes was also selected by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Best Indie Books of 2021. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss her careers and latest novel, The Color of Ice.

                Key Topics:


                1. The important role the subconscious mind plays in sparking all of Barbra’s story ideas.
                2. Barbara’s technique of imagining having a conversation with her protagonists as a way of getting to know them (and fueling her creativity).
                3. Barbara’s seemingly contradictory advice to forget everything you know about writing and to trust that you’ve learned some things about what makes a clean sentence when making the leap from writing non-fiction to writing fiction.
                4. Her belief that it will all work out in the end.


                  5. Buy The Color of Ice

                  Amazon: https://amzn.to/3EgH0rT

                  Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781647422592


                  Connect with Barbara Linn Probst

                  Website: https://www.barbaralinnprobst.com/

                  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011410511548

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

                  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT4f95REYKgYJPFzpU_84g


                  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
                5. Give it a Go, with Clare Pooley

                  Today’s guest, Clare Pooley, and I share a few things in common. We both have backgrounds in advertising, we were both bloggers before becoming authors, and we both appreciate the music of Abba, which my inner heavy metal loving teenager would never admit. She recently joined me to talk about her latest novel, Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting.

                  Meet Clare Pooley:

                  Clare spent twenty years in the world of advertising before becoming a full-time writer. Her memoir - The Sober Diaries - has helped thousands of people worldwide to quit drinking. Her first novel - The Authenticity Project - was a BBC Radio 2 Bookclub pick, a New York Times Bestseller and the winner of the RNA debut novel award. Her latest book is Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting.

                  Key Topics:

                  1. How Clare went from advertising executive to blogger to published author.
                  2. How writing a memoir helped Clare find her voice for writing fiction.
                  3. Clare’s process of visualizing scenes before writing them.
                  4. Her belief that movement unsticks creativity.
                  5. Why she’d tell her younger self to be less afraid of making mistakes and failing.


                    6. “I spent most of my life being fearful of making mistakes and failing. Part of the reason I didn’t write a novel until I was fifty was because I didn’t think I’d be able to do it or, if I did it, that no one would read it.” 


                    Buy Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting

                    Amazon: https://amzn.to/3SZrZ1L

                    Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781984878649


                    Connect with Clare

                    Website: www.clarepooley.com

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

                    Twitter: https://twitter.com/cpooleywriter


                    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.

                    39 min
                  6. Throwing the Bones, with Jeannée Sacken

                    I remember being called home from school during my senior year in High School because my grandmother, who lived with us at the time, had slipped into a coma. When I got home, I wanted to see her but my cousin said not to get my hopes up as she had been unresponsive for some time. Undeterred, I climbed up the stairs and sat by her bedside. As if on cue, her eyes opened and said, “My Michael, I’ve been waiting for you.” I won’t mention what else was said between us, but after our chat, she closed her eyes again and never woke up. She slipped away later that night. I share this personal story because today’s guest, Jeannée Sacken, shared a similar experience with her father—but you will have to listen in for that beautiful story.

                    Meet Jeannée Sacken:

                    A former English professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, Jeannée is now a photojournalist who travels the world documenting the lives of women and children. She also photographs wildlife and is deeply committed to the conservation of endangered species. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her career and latest book, Double Exposure.


                    Key Topics:


                    1. How complex stories made for Barbie and Ken and putting on plays in neighborhood backyards planted the seed that one day Jeannée might be a storyteller.
                    2. How encouragement from a strict teacher blew some wind in Jeannée’s sails and encouraged her to write more.
                    3. How her father’s dying wish for her to not die with regrets changed her life forever.
                    4. How a Twilight Zone experience with a Seer in Zimbabwe put her on the path to pursuing a career as a photojournalist.
                    5. Why she’d tell her younger self to experience it all and to not be afraid.


                      6. “I was sitting in the ICU at my father's bedside and it was clear he was dying. He took my hand and he said, “Don't die with regrets.” And that was the last thing he said because he went into a coma after that. And it took me a while to figure out exactly what that meant.” — Jeannée Sacken


                      Buy: Double Exposure

                      Amazon: https://amzn.to/3e5v2Xd

                      Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781645383703


                      Connect with Jeannée

                      Website: https://jeanneesacken.com/home/index.html

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

                      Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeannee.sacken


                      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.

                      34 min
                    6. Mysterious Ways, with Kamila Shamsie

                      U2’s seminal album Achtung Baby was released during my senior year in high school. At the time, I was a huge fan and didn’t know what to make of this new release as it was so different from their earlier work. Once I heard the song Mysterious Ways, though, I really started to dig what I was hearing. I can honestly say I love that album even more today than I did back then. What’s the connection between U2’s Mysterious Ways and today’s guest Kamila Shamsie, well, you will just have to listen to find out!

                      Meet Kamila Shamsie:

                      Kamila Shamsie is the author of several novels, including Home Fire, which won the Women’s Prize for Fiction, was longlisted for the Booker Prize, and was a finalist for the International Dublin Literary Award, among other honors. She recently joined me to talk about her career and latest novel, Best of Friends.

                      Key Topics:


                      1. How she pursued writing as a career even though it took five books before she could earn a living by being an author.
                      2. Why she was inspired to write about childhood friendships in her latest novel, Best of Friends.
                      3. How the America she envisioned while growing up in Pakistan did not live up to the expectations she had watching pirated videotapes as a child.
                      4. Why would she tell her younger self to take more risks. 


                        5. “Having complete control over what you are writing also means having complete responsibility. And that can be terrifying.” — Kamila Shamise


                        Buy Best of Friends

                        Amazon: https://amzn.to/3SFpTE4

                        Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780593421826


                        Connect with Kamila

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

                        Twitter: https://twitter.com/kamilashamsie


                        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.

                        44 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,…