Writing and Editing

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My guest is Harker Jones (no relation), who provides a witty self-bio, but of whom I can say more newscastery, so to speak, that he’s an artist who works and has worked in many different media for a few decades now. He published the Amazon #1-bestselling gay love story called Until September. Harker has also written many screenplays, and directed and produced several short thrillers that have played at film festivals and won awards. Somewhere in there he also was managing editor or Out magazine for 7 years. In my conversation, he was modest and self-effacing about his many achievements. And as for his self-bio, I liked this best: “He’s a member of both the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and Mensa, loves cats and carbs and would like to be a one-hit wonder but would settle for being killed in a slasher movie.”

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My guest is Oscar Martens, who is a writer based in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Oscar is also a good friend of mine whom I’ve known for over 30 years, when I met him in a writing class in Ottawa. He has since published two collections of literary short stories to excellent reviews: The Girl with the Full Figure Is Your Daughter in 2002, and No Call Too Small in 2020. In this second part of my conversation with him, we continue on the same topic, but also discuss the use of conversation in fiction and in film. Please also check out Part 1, the previous episode of the podcast, in which we still talk about conversation, but in broader terms, and introducing some of the concepts referred to in this episode.

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My guest is Oscar Martens, who is a writer based in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Oscar is also a good friend of mine whom I’ve know for over 30 years, when I met him in a writing class in Ottawa. He has since published two collections of literary short stories to excellent reviews: The Girl with the Full Figure Is Your Daughter in 2002, and No Call Too Small in 2020. In this second part of my conversation with him, we continue on the same topic, but also discuss the use of conversation in fiction and in film. In the second part, we continue on the same topic, but also discuss the use of conversation in fiction and in film.

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My guest is Heather Buzila, who is past president and a current member of the national executive council of Editors Canada, the professional association for editors in Canada. She has been an editor for over 15 years and currently works for Athabasca University in Edmonton, Alberta, where she edits materials for online courses in humanities and the social sciences. Heather also has broad experience in editing both fiction and nonfiction, as well as web materials for many organizations. We talk about Editors Canada, the association, what its purpose is, what it does for editors, and other topics.

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My guest is Emily McPherson, who writes for young adult readers, with several fantasy projects in the works. She describes herself as “an Irish dancer with a slight obsession with mythological creatures.” Emily lives in Connecticut, and her debut novel, Mother of the River, will be published by Eyebright Books in March. 

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My guest is Les Madewell, who is a professional photographer with a wide range of experience, from event photography to fashion. We also talk about his interest and forays into writing. 

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My guest is Julie Ann, who is the founder and CEO of Influence Publishing in British Columbia, Canada. She also hosts retreats for writers in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where she also lives. We talk about her own life story, as well as some of the aspects of her corner of publishing, with discussion of how hers differs and the current state of traditional publishing. 

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My guest is Alan Kolok, who is a professor at the University of Idaho and Director of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, based in Moscow, Idaho. He is an expert in toxicology and author of the Modern Poisons: A Brief Introduction to Contemporary Toxicology. He’s also author of the sci-fi novel Twist. We talk about poisons as well as making the transition from science to science fiction in writing. 

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My guest is Julie Coraccio. She is a professional organizer, who writes books and gives talks about the effects that go way beyond just having a messy home. Julie is based in Wheeling, West Virginia, and also hosts a podcast called Clear Your Clutter Inside & Out. We talk about clutter and the various reasons that some people can’t help themselves from doing it. Please listen. 

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My guest is Doug MacLeod, who has a doctorate degree from SUNY Albany and is an associate professor at SUNY Cobleskill—teaching intercultural communication, script writing, visual media, cinema, mass media, literature and composition (the latter by using standup comedy). He has published widely as well, on topics as diverse as religion and Bonnie and Clyde. He lives in Cobleskill, New York, about 250 kilometres north of New York City. We talked about his many interests as an interdisciplinarian.