Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews Gama Ray Martinez about his recent novel GOD OF NEVERLAND, his writing life, and more. Prior to the main segment, Mark shares an extremely brief personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. During their conversation Mark and Gama talk about: How Mark and Gama normally only see one another once per year at Superstars Writing Seminars in Colorado in Feb each year Gama always wanting to be a writer, and in school turning in stories instead of descriptive essays The first story that Gama sold, which won 2nd place in a David Farland anthology Taking several of David Farland's workshops Writing a "purple unicorn" story involving a potato based on a parody cover James A. Owen had crafted The background of the "purple unicorn" story Value that can come, both professionally and personally, from attending in person conferences like Superstars Writing Seminars The inspiration for writing God of Neverland which came from the epilogue of the original story of Peter Pan Embracing both traditional publishing and indie publishing Having support from both family and close friends The audiobook version, which took home an audio award The forthcoming sequel, Queens of Wonderland, which ties in to the classic Lewis Carroll book The GamaVerse of this series and how it will connect even more classic texts Writing with something on the TV in the background, but it having to be something that he has seen countless times Advice Gama would offer to other writers and beginning writers How Gama shoots for one plot point per 1000 words when greating a rough outline for a writing project Gama's goal to do a half-marathon in every state, and the Disney marathons he has participated in The feeling of walking into a bookstore such as Barnes and Noble and seeing your books on display And more... After the interview Mark reflects on the years of hard work and investment Gama put into his writing to get to where he is today and the important of getting that first draft DONE.   Links of Interest: Gama Ray Martinez Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Best Book Ever Podcast Lovers Moon Podcast The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles   Gama Ray Martinez lives near Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife and kids. He moved there solely because he likes mountains. He collects weapons in case he ever needs to supply a medieval battalion, and he greatly resents when work or other real-life things get in the way of writing. He secretly hopes to one day slay a dragon in single combat and doesn’t believe in letting pesky little things like reality stand in the way of dreams.   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 

Mark interviews October K. Santerelli about neurodivergence as it relates to the writing life. Prior to the main segment, Mark shares a personal update, and shares a word about this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. During their conversation Mark and October talk about: October's start with writing during a 7th Grade poetry unit project receiving an A+ Dedicating his first book to that teacher who was so inspiring and supportive Getting a publishing deal offer at the age of sixteen Doing a lot of fantasy writing (that got finished) as well as Queer fiction (that never got finished)- Loving the act of "spite writing" The terms of Neurotypical, Neurodivergent, and their understanding within the writer's life How ADHD and Autism spectrum can have really powerful effects on your writing career The way that many of the "rules" for writers don't align with a brain that isn't neurotypical Giving a general guideline on how something might feel - ie, the results rather than the strict processes October creating mini "celebrations" to accompany completely particular small victories Showing how he re-frames some of the standard bits of advice that work well for him The useful and valuable tool of doing writing sprints and how it creates a short and very immediate deadline And more... After the interview Mark shares a few reflections and reminds authors that not all "how to" and recommended processes are a "fit all" option. Adaptation into one's own manners and systems is important. Links of Interest: October K. Santerelli Website October on TikTok October's Course on Neurodiversity for Creatives Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Best Book Ever Podcast Lovers Moon Podcast The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles   October K Santerelli is a fantasy author from the mountains of Denver, Colorado, USA. He is an LGBTQ+ writer and sensitivity reader, as well as a public speaker on disability, neurodivergency, and Own Voices writing in the publishing industry.   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 

Mark interviews Rebecca Eckler, journalist, bestselling author and the founder of RE: Books. Prior to the main segment, Mark shares a personal update, reads listener comments, and announces the patron winner of the Dialogue Doctor Masterclass You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. During their conversation Mark and Rebecca talk about about: The concept of retirement when it relates to writing Feeling "done" after publishing 10 books with the big publishing houses The concept of helping younger aspiring female authors Haters being a person's best motivator While Rebecca believes that publishing needs a makeover Spending an afternoon outside a bookstore in order to better understand why people purchased the books they picked up that day The pathetically low average advances that are being offered by publishers and how Rebecca is using a different model The features that Rebecca includes on her blog/newsletter Rebecca's focus on wanting to help prop up Canadian female authors Hosting the annual #writeaway summer contest How most traditional publishers do all the work preparing a book but only publicize a handful of their books And more... After the interview Mark reflects on Rebecca's focus on readers and propping up Canadian female authors, and the fixin' that is needed in the publishing industry. Links of Interest: Rebecca's Website Rebecca - Facebook Rebecca - Twitter The Dialogue Doctor Sept 10, 2022 - Dialogue MasterClass EP 266 - "Let's Talk Dialogue With Jeff Elkins," He Said Reflectively EP 262 - Rambling Hometown Reflections Buy Mark a Coffee Sell More Books Show - EP 439 (Mark as guest co-host) Patreon for Stark Reflections Best Book Ever Podcast Lovers Moon Podcast The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles   In addition to being one of Canada’s most well-known journalists, Rebecca Eckler is an international bestselling author. She’s penned 10 books, including the famous Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother-to-Be, Wiped! Life with a Pint-Sized Dictator, Toddlers Gone Wild, How to Raise a Boyfriend, Mommy Mob, and her most recent success, Blissfully Blended Bullsh*t. Eckler lives in Toronto with her two kids: Rowan and Holt. When she’s not writing or working on re:books, you can find her sharing her brutally honest opinions on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.     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 

Mark has a conversation with Jeff Elkins, The Dialogue Doctor. Prior to the main segment, Mark explains his goof-up that led to releasing this particular episode and then shares a few words about this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. During their conversation Mark and Jeff speak, chat, discuss, converse, reflect, consider, chew on, and talk about about: How a book that is 160 K can read like it's so much shorter because it's 95% dialogue Remembering that dialogue is just another tool that we, as writers can use - and how can it help impact the emotional resonance of your story The distance skyline of NYC versus the details of a narrow street as a parallel for two types of writing (prose and dialogue) The energy-building dialogue of Aaron Sorkin in shows like The West Wing Dialogue in action scenes The love/hate relationship writers can have with dialogue tags And more... After the interview Mark reflects on one of the things he is going to try in his own writing to help improve his dialogue.   Links of Interest: Jeff Elkins' Website The Dialogue Doctor Sept 10, 2022 - Dialogue MasterClass Draft2Digital LIVE (Self-Publishing Insiders) - Sept 1, 2022 - The Dialogue Doctor with Jeff Elkins (FULL INTERVIEW) Episode 157 - A Conversation with Jeff Elkins, The Dialogue Doctor Episode 172 - Understanding and Navigating Gender Episode 226 - Reflective Round Table December 2021 Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Best Book Ever Podcast Lovers Moon Podcast The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles   Jeff Elkins writes stories about outsiders who fight for outcasts, rejects, and the oppressed. He is the author of more than ten novels, a Certified Three Story Method Editor, and the host of the Dialogue Doctor podcast. During the day, he leads the writing team for a training company that simulates difficult conversations. He lives north of Baltimore, Maryland with his wife of twenty-years and his five kids.   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   

Mark has a chat with Elizabeth Ann West and Randall Wood. Elizabeth Ann West is not only the public face of ScribeCount but is also an author whose books have hit the bestseller lists on all major vendors, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, Google Play, and Kobo. Randall Wood is the author of the bestselling Jack Randall thrillers and co-founder of ScribeCount a platform with the desire to be the preeminent author service platform, offering services every author needs. Prior to the main segment, Mark shares recent comments, a personal update, and a few words about this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. During their conversation Mark, Elizabeth and Randall talk about: Elizabeth's new role at Scribecount Why Elizabeth goes to conferences with two notebooks The origin of ScribeCount in the back of a room and on cocktail napkins at NINC (Novelist's Inc) in Florida Randall and Elizabeth's background as writers The decision Randall made related to signing a deal with Tor versus indie publishing Elizabeth's earliest entrepreneur activities which involved killing her mother's rubber tree plant at the age of eight The thrill of landing on writing "Jane Austin fan fiction" style historical romance Why Elizabeth sells her eBooks at $9.99 An overview of what ScribeCount is and how it helps authors understand their sales data from numerous sources The complications that come with understanding advertising and marketing expenditures related to sales campaign The difference of earnings in a month (live reporting) versus payments in a month (usually delayed 30 to 90 days) "Get off the spreadsheet, get on the Sunburst!" How ScribeCount is free to use until an author earns more than $999/month Launching Ingram Spark into the platform (which did happen roughly half way through August 2022) The very clear privacy policy that ScribeCount has, preserving data for ONLY each author account - it is never merged with other data The learning library that Elizabeth is working on to help mid-list authors learn how to leverage the data and the tools ScribeCount has Some of the conferences that Elizabeth and Randall will be at over the next little while And more...   After the interview Mark reflects on the author-centric nature of ScribeCount and why that is so important. He also shares his thoughts on Elizabeth's $9.99 price point for her novels. Links of Interest: ScribeCount (Mark's affiliate link) Elizabeth Ann West Randal Wood EP 263 - Terry Brooks & Susanna Kearsley - WWC Keynotes Part 1 Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Best Book Ever Podcast Lovers Moon Podcast The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles   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 

Mark shares the keynotes given by Hank Phillippi Ryan and Edward Willett from an event he hosted on August 12, 2022 for the virtual When Words Collide 2022 annual conference. Prior to the main segment, Mark shares a few words about this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.   Hank Phillippi Ryan shares discusses ten things that she learned during the pandemic that she realized she already knew   Edward Willett shares his life-long dream of being a writer, the circuitous journey and the multiple unexpected stops along the way The full video of these keynotes, as well as the ones by Terry Brooks and Susanna Kearsley (plus the conversation and Q&A that followed the talks) can be found here on YouTube.   Links of Interest: When Words Collide Hank Phillippi Ryan Edward Willett YouTube Video of FULL Keynote Talks EP 262 - Rambling Hometown Reflections EP 263 - Terry Brooks & Susanna Kearsley - WWC Keynotes Part 1 Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Best Book Ever Podcast Lovers Moon Podcast The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles   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 

Mark shares the keynotes given by Terry Brooks and Susanna Kearsley from an event he hosted on August 12, 2022 for the virtual When Words Collide 2022 annual conference. Prior to the main segment, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, welcomes a new patron and then says a word about this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.   Terry Brooks talks about a topic he hates to answer or discuss: "Where do you get your ideas?" and explains why   Susanna Kearsley explores the concept of an author's supposedly "solitary" life that may actually be filled with relationships. The full video of these keynotes, as well as the ones by Hank Phillippi Ryan and Edward Willett (plus the conversation and Q&A that followed the talks) can be found here on YouTube.   Links of Interest: When Words Collide Terry Brooks Susanna Kearsley YouTube Video of FULL Keynote Talks EP 262 - Rambling Hometown Reflections The Fantastic Comic Fan Podcast EP 57 - Author Mark Leslie Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Best Book Ever Podcast Lovers Moon Podcast The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles   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 

In this solo episode Mark reflects on a few things related to the regular returns back to his hometown of Levack, Ontario, and how those things have influenced his writing life. Prior to the main segment, Mark shares an extremely brief personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.   Links of Interest: Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Best Book Ever Podcast Lovers Moon Podcast The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles   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 

Mark interviews S.W. Millar about his new book - How to Write Brilliant Beginnings: Crafting Your Novel’s Opening Chapters Made Easy. Prior to the main segment, Mark shares a brief personal update, comments from recent episodes, and a word about this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and Shane talk about: Shane's background as an urban fantasy writer and a certified Story Editor Writing his first novel back in 2010, pulling it out of a drawer in 2015 and realizing how much it was lacking, and then engaging in a long period of study to better his craft and understanding of the business Wanting to write the kind of books he needed when he was first starting out and wanting to learn How reading Jim Butcher's Harry Desden files novels inspired Shane to want to write similar tales Realizing that he wanted to train as a writer-friendly editor with Kristina Stanley from Fictionary The importance of having a degree of distance when you are taking in feedback from editors or readers Shane's preference for the type of fiction he prefers to edit: Urban fantasy, Thrillers, and Science-Fictio How to Write Brilliant Beginnings, Shane's new book, and why it is such an important element to help with sales The invisible/subtle question that you set up so that, in the reader's mind, they are compelled to keep reading to find the answer to it Why it is equally compelling to end your chapters, particularly the first two or three chapters, which as much of a hook as possible That "just one more principal" The idea of a character "going about their current 'flawed' existence" How everything a character sees and experiences is filtered through their wound and scar Giving your main character something very unique to them as an identifier The five top things that you should give your character for them to be three dimensional and compelling to readers The value of opening the novel with some type of conflict or action beat When ending chapters or cutting scenes, the element of cutting it off BEFORE the resolution that can compel the reader to keep reading The way that old television programs, such as Batman that always cut to a commercial break with a hook that would make the audience want to keep watching to find out how it was resolved That "know, like, and trust" thing which can be so important when engaging in social media The importance of open-ended questions that can lead to engagement and detailed answers Shane's books: How to Write Brilliant Beginnings, How to Plot Your Novel and How to Write Novels Fast And more... After the interview, Mark reflects on distance and objectivity as well as that end of chapter "cut to commercial" hook. Links of Interest: S. W. (Shane) Millar's Website Instagram TikTok Fictionary EP 260 - Mood, Atmosphere, and Worldbuilding with Joshua Essoe Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Best Book Ever Podcast Lovers Moon Podcast The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles   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 

Mark interviews editor Joshua Essoe about the elements of atmosphere, mood, and world-building. Prior to the main segment, Mark shares a personal update, comments from recent episodes, and a word about this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and Joshua talk about: How Joshua got into being an editor twelve years ago The limitation of only being able to work 1:1 with so many clients at a time and how that led to Joshua deciding to release books (Essoe's Guides to Writing) to assist writers with some of his knowledge/experience The way Joshua divides up a typical day of work, which involves a lot of burning the midnight oil Joshua's unique way of combining two subjects into a single double-sided flip book as a special Kickstarter exclusive project The first flip book - Action Sequences / Sex Scenes The second flip book - Worldbuilding / Mood & Atmosphere The problem with trying to release a flip-book format in the traditional print book market. (Where does the bar code that's supposed to be on the "back" of the book go?) Original artwork from James A. Owen that is part of these books, and this special Kickstarter project The 6 major areas where writers usually have issues in Worldbuilding, including Info-dumping, which is also broken down into 6 types: world-building info dump the back-story info dump the technical info dump dialogue info dump thought info dump emotion info dump How Kevin J. Anderson does a great job of setting up his world in the first several pages of the Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. novels Three big things that you need to do in your world-building: broadening it, deepening it, and involving it How writers need to shackle their impulse to share too many details about their world all at once to readers A discussion of Tolkien's world-building, which involved a combination of intriguing teaser moments, but also some longer segments of info-dumping What are we talking about when we're talking about Mood and Atmosphere? How there aren't that many books in existence on the topic of mood and atmosphere The way that every aspect of your writing that can contribute to mood How atmosphere is a part of mood, but is a big enough element that it can be understood and explored on its own An excellent example of atmosphere from A Wrinkle in Time How you want to be purposeful when creating and sharing mood in your writing Some of the rewards that are going to be available in Joshua's Kickstarter And more...   After the interview, Mark reflects on a couple of things from the discussion. Links of Interest: Joshua's Website Joshua's Worldbuilding, Mood & Atmosphere Kickstarter EP 137 - Action Sequences and Sex Scenes with Joshua Essoe Kobo Writing Life Podcast - EP 76 - (Mark's first interview with Joshua) Findaway Voices The Emotion Thesaurus on the Writers Helping Writers Website Other Episodes Mentioned in this podcast EP 247 - My Mom's Influence on Me As A Writer EP 258 - June 2022 Reflective Hangout Highlight Clips   Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Best Book Ever Podcast Lovers Moon Podcast The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles   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