Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

EP 432 - Creativity, Connection, and Community with Police Officer and Author A.L. Wahdel

Sep 5, 2025

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Mark interviews A.L. Wahdel, a crime thriller writer brings Toronto’s soul to life in his fiction. They talk about his new book TOO DARK FOR THE LIGHT, about his writing, about police work, and about the importance of community, connection, and creativity.\

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode's sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report.

In the interview, Mark and Lance talk about:

Lance's 20 years of experience in the police force and how he had planned on a completely different career path by studying media arts and graphic design
How people usually ask police officers if they're seen any crazy stuff, but rarely ask if they've seen amazing things
The power of community and connecting and communicating with people
"Always be in a constant state of create." A philosophy that drives Lance in his life and writing
How any time a person creates something it's a gift to the world and the universe
Lance's earliest experience writing lyrics and music
Being a huge comic fan, Batman in particular
The revelation of "write what you know" in creating his first novel TO DARK FOR THE LIGHT
Finding his writing community via numerous podcasts, YouTube, and other online resources
Establishing a virtual "mastermind" from the shared writing resources
Deciding to set his novel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada instead of choosing a "more popular" major US city
Using Toronto's iconic skyline on the cover to ensure the setting for the book was clear
Debating over whether or not to begin with Water Kascade's origin story
The tricky balance of writing an authentic police procedural novel (ie, ignoring those tedious long boring periods of time in the day to day life of law enforcement)
The training of always being alert and aware as a police officer and how that benefits Lance as a writer
Some of the things that authors get wrong related to police work
The integrity involved in releasing the book under the pseudonym A.L. Wahdel so as not to take advantage of his role and employer
Advice Lance would offer to other authors
And more . . .

After the interview Mark shares a few reflections about the desire to help others and the value of creativity in giving to the world.

Links of Interest:

A.L. Wahdel is an exciting new storyteller in the crime thriller genre, blending gripping suspense with a powerful narrative.

A.L. Wahdel writes with energy about the city that shaped his identity. With an unwavering love for its style and complexity, he brings Toronto’s soul to life in every story. Choosing his birthplace as the canvas for his crime series was an intentional act—to honour its essence, celebrate its dynamism, and share the stories that only a true Torontonian writer could tell

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0