Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews author Brittany Fichter about writing happily ever after endings, clean romance, and taking the time to care for her readers. Prior to the main content, Mark shares a personal update, thanks new patron James S. Aaron, 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. In their conversation, Mark and Brittany talk about: Writing clean, sweet, and wholesome romance Living and writing with OCD, Tourettes and free-floating anxiety The Writing Gals Podcast and their outline of the various levels of heat in romance fiction How the outline for Brittany's last book was 50,000 words The way that clean romances can still deal with heavy concepts and deep emotions Writing fairy tales that are full fantasy, much like the darkness to light moment in The Lord of the Rings Brittany's childhood love of fairy tales and her desire to what to know the characters beyond the tropes Stephen King's writing prompt to write a story you'll never share with anyone, and how Brittany used that to write a story inspired by Beauty and The Beast that she published in 2015 Revising covers, and the fact her first book (Beyond Beauty) has gone through four covers already Getting writing done with young children Making YouTube music playlists for every book that she writes as a way of triggering her brain that it's time to write The push that leads a lot of writers to writer burnout The Happy Planner brand Writing and publishing a chapter a week on her blog to keep her readers happy while they're waiting for the next book Why Brittany has a "Fun and Games" section on her website and why she avoids political discussion in her reader groups and author page How her writing is all about light overcoming dark The way that 2020 had us on social media and on our phones a lot, instead of being with and understanding others Advice Brittany would give to new writers And more... After the interview Mark reflects on the importance of attending to the needs of your readers. Links of Interest: Brittany Fichter's Website Facebook Author Page Facebook Reader Group Instagram Writing Gals: What Makes Clean Romance Clean 20BooksVegas Website 2021 Video Playlist of 162 Videos (YouTube) Killing it on Kobo Wide for the Win Apple Books Panel Findaway Voices The Canadian Mounted You Play with Your Balls a Lot (Lipsync) The 2021 NaNoWriMo Writing Tools Storybundle Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Brittany Fichter lives with her Prince Charming, little fairy, and little prince in a decently clean castle in whatever kingdom the United States Air Force has most recently placed them. 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 three short audio excerpts from the November 2021 20BooksVegas conference. 20Books Vegas 2021 is by far the biggest and best of the 20Books shows (there have been ten so far). It is the biggest show in the world focused on self-publishing although there is something for every author, traditional or indie. The 20Books mentality is that everyone deserves a chance to succeed if they take the knowledge and experience and apply it to their author business. With up to 20 authors making seven figures a year and hundreds making a full-time living, there will be something for everyone. Be warned, no one is going to carry you and make you an overnight sensation. You have to do that for yourself by applying what over 100 guest speakers have to offer. Are you ready to excel, reap the rewards of your good work? Then take control of your author career. Prior to the main content, Mark shares recent comments, a personal update, thanks new patron Michael Howell 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. The three clips (each approximately 10 minutes) are: Mal Cooper - Finding and Keeping Fans https://youtu.be/qlqdlrgGXCQ (Full video) Caroline Peckham - Starting and Growing Your TikTok Platform https://youtu.be/dBiIPaeYUmk (Full video) Kevin McLaughlin - The Five Pillars of Indie Publishing https://youtu.be/yFXZAoi02sk (Full video) Links of Interest: 20BooksVegas Website 2021 Video Playlist of 144 Videos (YouTube) Findaway Voices Findaway Voices Blog - Spotify EP 218 - John Gaspard on Business, Magic, and Writing The 2021 NaNoWriMo Writing Tools Storybundle Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 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 Vikrant Shaurya, CEO and Founder of Bestsellingbook.com. Prior to the interview, Mark shares an extremely brief personal update with crappy audio from a Vegas hotel room 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 Vikrant talk about: The story of how Vikrant got started in writing Spending more time in the college library than in classe Starting a company, making a number of mistakes, and being left with no money and being forced to shut down the business Discovering self-publishing and working hard to write and go through the publishing process Creating a "done for you" publishing company to help entrepreneurs and speakers Who Vikrant's ideal client is and the detailed customized process of ensuring their book is written using their insights/knowledge/experience in their unique voice The packages and costs of making the book a bestseller on Amazon The process of the angel writers who work closely with clients Going through the book chapter by chapter with the client with unlimited revisions Potential opportunities for writers to work for Bestselling Book as angel writers And more... After the interview, Mark reflects on the various needs and pathways for different types of writers and where a service like Bestsellingbook.com might fit in to that. Links of Interest: BestsellingBook.com Findaway Voices 20BooksVegas SelfPubCon 2021: The Writing Craft Conference (ALLI) - The Craft of Writing Short Books The 2021 NaNoWriMo Writing Tools Storybundle Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Vikrant Shaurya is the CEO & Founder of BestsellingBook.com, #1 Bestselling Author, sought-after Book Launch Manager, and an internationally recognized Digital Publishing Expert. He has helped thousands of entrepreneurs and first-time authors actualize their dreams by joining them in their self-publishing journeys through his courses, coaching, and done-for-you services. 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 Chris Racknor about his Shawn Ronin mystery series, about science fiction and about his experiences in both traditional and indie publishing. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a 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. In their conversation Mark and Chris talk about: The report card snapshot from the first grade indicating Chris had an affinity for writing The serialized blog stories on Chris's blog early on in the advent of digital reading The 2004 goal Chris set related to writing a novel, and how that came to pass in 2020 Heading into the science discipline and wondering if it was for the science or for making the science-fiction more believable How Chris's mother, concerned that he was reading too many comic books, handed him a copy of a Robert B. Parker novel How science-fiction is about asking questions, while mysteries are about searching for answers Chris's experience of working with a publisher and coming to realize the sub-par work they had done on his novel The podcasts that Chris regularly listens to related to the business of self-publishing Preparing and launching the first three books in his mystery series via the indie route A bit of a background on the series and the main character Some of the personal situations from Chris's own life that have factored into the novels Strategies for launching three books at once, such as immediately making the first book in that series free Advice that Chris would give to his younger self And more... After the interview Mark reflects on Chris's determination to not give up despite the challenges he faced with his first book, but instead, to take a different approach. He also talks about the importance of asking and how you miss 100% of the shots you never take. Links of Interest: Chris Racknor's Website Findaway Voices Universal Book Links Now Include Print (Announcement) Haunted Hospitals The Relaxed Author SelfPubCon 2021: The Writing Craft Conference (ALLI) - The Craft of Writing Short Books The 2021 NaNoWriMo Writing Tools Storybundle Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Chris Racknor has a Ph.D. in physics and lives in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. He has been an astronomy teacher, physicist, motorcycle owner, competitive strongman, varsity rugby player, and stay-at-home dad. He is a family man, Data Scientist, sci-fi nerd, professional kilt-wearing tree thrower, Transformers toy collector, and sumo wrestling aficionado with plenty more stories to 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

Mark interviews John Gaspard about his mystery novels, his decision to move from traditional publishing to indie publishing, and other behind the scenes business decisions about his life in writing. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a 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. In their conversation Mark and John talk about: John's journey to traditional publishing and the process of getting his rights back and checking out indie publishing Working with an agent Some of the research John has done to find a publisher What a "right of first refusal" clause in a contract is Offering his publisher money to get out of the contract he was in The writing John was doing as full time work that was NOT writing novels Writing a mystery in novel form compared to writing it for the screen John's early introduction to film making that led to film-making projects through high school The two $30K feature films John worked on in the late 80s The combo book/behind-the-curtains podcast John has created and the plan behind wanting to launch it And more... After the interview Mark reflects on the business decision and investment John made in himself. Links of Interest: Eli Marks Website Eli Marks Podcast John's Books Film Books All of John's Books Findaway Voices Universal Book Links Now Include Print (Announcement) Haunted Hospitals The Relaxed Author SelfPubCon 2021: The Writing Craft Conference (ALLI) - The Craft of Writing Short Books The 2021 NaNoWriMo Writing Tools Storybundle Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 John Gaspard is the author of the Eli Marks mystery series as well as four other stand-alone novels, "The Greyhound of the Baskervilles," "A Christmas Carl," "The Sword & Mr. Stone," and "The Ripperologists." He also writes the Como Lake Players mystery series, under the pen name Bobbie Raymond. In real life, John's not a magician, but he has directed six low-budget features that cost very little and made even less – that's no small trick. He's also written multiple books on the subject of low-budget filmmaking. Ironically, they've made more than the films. John lives in Minnesota and shares his home with his lovely wife, several dogs, a few cats and a handful of pet allergies. 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 Sarah Kades and Adrienne Kerr about how their relationship as a writing and editing team, about Sarah's recent release, Kiss Me in the Rain and about their pathways into the writing and publishing world. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word about this episode's sponsor: Stark Publishing and his books for writers. In their conversation, Mark, Sarah, and Adrienne talk about: How Sarah got into writing and how Adrienne got into editing The first book that Adrienne edited and the intriguing story behind it Sarah's first experience with a nurturing editor and how that led to a positive experience ensuring she stuck with writing The importance of having a solid connection and relationship with an editor who understands your goals How Adrienne and Sarah first met and the huge faux pas Sarah made trying to connect with Adrienne The airport pickup story and how Sarah and Adrienne bonded in the car on the way to the conference hotel The way the two helped one another at mutually critical junctures in their lives A bit about the novel Kiss Me in the Rain and the elements Sarah likes to include in her novels How the setting in Kiss Me in the Rain is a character in the novel Earning your right to criticize as an editor Sarah's writer voice and confidence growing stronger by working with Adrienne Keeping in mind a book in a series as a stand-alone story for readers of that book as well as the readers of the entire series And more... After the conversation Mark reflects on the importance of a solid writer/editor relationship as well as the value of being specific when offering both positive and negative feedback. Sarah's Website Adrienne's Website Kiss Me in the Rain Mark's Books for Writers Findaway Voices SelfPubCon 2021: The Writing Craft Conference (ALLI) - The Craft of Writing Short Books The 2021 NaNoWriMo Writing Tools Storybundle Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Sarah Kades writes action adventure thrillers with strong environmental themes as Sarah Kades and socially responsible narrative nonfiction as Sarah Graham. She is passionate about culture, landscapes, knowledge accessibility, the arts and Momma Earth. She loves writing books that remind us of the natural nature within each of us, a re-wilding to our true, authentic, best awesome self! She has studied in the United States, Canada and Scotland, and for the last twenty years her day job has been as an archaeologist and Indigenous Knowledge studies and engagement facilitator. In 2020, she received her first literary arts grant and was a two-time Energy Futures Lab Banff Summit storyteller. When she is not writing you can find her running, bumping into her next adventure or trying to figure out where in the garden to put the makeshift wood fired pizza oven. Adienne Kerr has more than twenty years of experience in book publishing, with expertise in retail, sales, acquisitions, and editing. As Senior Editor at Penguin Random House Canada from 2009 to 2015, she acquired and edited thirty national bestsellers and in 2011, The Canadian Booksellers Association named her Editor of the Year. ​Since 2016 as a freelance editor Adrienne has worked with publishers, literary agents, and private clients. She speak at events such as the Surrey International Writers' Festival, Calgary's When Words Collide, and the Ontario Writers' Conference and lectures on publishing topics at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. 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 Matty Dalrymple about her new book THE INDY AUTHOR'S GUIDE TO PODCASTING FOR AUTHORS. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a 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. In their conversation Mark and Matty talk about: Matty's celebration of the 100th episode of her podcast and the ongoing celebratory series of 7 episodes featuring Orna Ross The workshop that Matty and Mark collaborated on for the 2021 Alliance of Independent Authors Self Publishing Conference talking about the craft of writing short fiction The drabble writing assignment that Matty and Mark offer as part of their workshop. (A drabble is a short story that is exactly 100 words) Matty's new book The Indy Author's Guide to Podcasting for Authors that includes podcasting itself as well as being a good podcast guest The downloadable Captain's Log resource that Matty has made available Matty turns the table and asked Mark why he started the Stark Reflections Podcast Matty's thoughts on whether or not a podcast is going to help an author sell books, as well as her own experience as both a podcast host and a podcast guest The concept of how a podcast guest might be temporarily bringing their own fans as listeners to someone else's podcast Leveraging a podcast as a way to connect with people that you're interested in connecting with and learning from Some of the technology, software, and assets required to record, produce, and distribute a podcast The amount of time that it takes Matty per week for her podcast Struggling with transcription and using Descript for that How the transcript for a podcast episode serves a particular portion of the audience Use of feature affiliates, Patreon and "Buy me a Coffee" for The Indy Author podcast And more... After the interview, Mark reflects on consistency in author branding, intrinsic motivation, and thinking long term. Links of Interest: Matty's Websites: The Indy Author Episode 098 - Redefining Indy Success through Short Fiction with Ran Walker Matty Dalrymple Findaway Voices SelfPubCon 2021: The Writing Craft Conference (ALLI) - The Craft of Writing Short Books The 2021 NaNoWriMo Writing Tools Storybundle Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Matty Dalrymple podcasts, writes, and speaks on the writing craft and the publishing voyage as The Indy Author. She is the host of THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST and the author of THE INDY AUTHOR'S GUIDE TO PODCASTING FOR AUTHORS. She is also the co-author, along with Mark Leslie Lefebvre, of TAKING THE SHORT TACK: CREATING INCOME AND CONNECTING WITH READERS USING SHORT FICTION. Matty is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. You can connect with The Indy Author via Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. ​ Matty is also the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, SNAKES AND LADDERS, and THE IRON RING; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels THE SENSE OF DEATH, THE SENSE OF RECKONING, THE FALCON AND THE OWL, and ​A FURNACE FOR YOUR FOE; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts, including CLOSE THESE EYES and WRITE IN WATER. Matty is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Brandywine Valley Writers Group. You can connect with Matty via Facebook and Twitter. ​Matty lives with her husband and three dogs in Chester County, Pennsylvania. 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 Patricio X. Maya, who writes in both English and Spanish. They talk about his writing, his essays, his first novel, Reggaetón Cruise, which has been called "a techno-beat The Great Gatsby" about cultural exile, multiculturalism, and so much more. Prior to the main content, Mark shares a personal update, thanks Patreon supporters and shares a word from 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. - What drew Patricia to writing in the first place, and those early teenage poems written in Spanish Being inspired by Columbian writer Gabriel García Márquez Patricio's move to the United States when he was 13 and his introduction to the English world Writing prose in English and poetry in Spanish Patricios's first book, a collection of essays and philosophies The theme of cultural exile in Patricio's second book Cherished early memories and defining half of his life from the age of 13 The origin of the poem "80 Miles Per Hour" The stylized American circus that's a part of Patricio's novel The Reggaetón Cruise and how it explores the contemporary moment of American culture where horror and entertainment marry and fuse Patricio's publishing partnership with Grady Miller Books that allows mutual growth together The media manager that Patricio works with for promotional appearances Thoughts about multiculturalism and super-multiculturalism in the US, Canada, the UK and other places What is the cost of becoming cosmopolitan? And more... After the interview Mark reflects on a few things the conversation made him think about. Links of Interest: The Reggaetón Cruise Findaway Voices Announcing Marketplace Self-Publishing Insiders Chat with Will Dages (YouTube) The 2nd Annual Online Sci-Fi & Fantasy Writers Conference (Oct 16, 2021) Business Bootcamp for Authors - Paths to Publication: Alternatives to Traditional Publishing (Panel) - (Oct 19, 2021) SelfPubCon: The Writing Craft Conference (ALLI) - The Craft of Writing Short Books The 2021 NaNoWriMo Writing Tools Storybundle Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Patricio X. Maya was born in Quito, Ecuador, and moved to California at age 12. He writes in English and Spanish. His first book, Walking Around with Fante and Bukowski, is made up of 21 essays grouped into sections about art, politics, and autobiography. His second book, 80 MPH, is a collection of eighty powerful poems written in Spanish. His first novel, Reggaetón Cruise, has been called "a techno-beat The Great Gatsby." Some of the novel's themes are globalization, viral fame, and hyper-reality. The narrative plot is complex and the characters from all over the world. Though the novel touches upon immigration, terrorism, exile, and murder, parts of it are humorous, while others have been called thought-provoking, and even unnerving. Too Much Sweetie, his second novel, is about René, a young Ecuadoran artist trapped between a moneyed upbringing and his current down-and-out North American reality. René's tense world view collapses when he falls for Meaw-Meaw, an ambitious Thai masseuse who loves him for all that he wants to leave behind. Too Much Sweetie, that strangest of things -a sensual novel of ideas- is set to be published later this year under the Hollywood publisher Grady Miller Books, which has also published the writer's previous books. Along Miller, Maya has gathered the collected poems of Aldo Tambellini for publication. He has also acted as editor-in-chief of 80 MPH Anthology, which showcases the work of various Hispanic and American writers. Maya holds an M.A. in Arts Journalism from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University and a B.A. in English from CSULA. He has been a Visiting Scholar at the CalArts' Aesthetics and Politics program and a poetry lecturer at the Los Angeles Public Library Summer Lecture Series. 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 Carol Van Natta about the collaborative author PETS IN SPACE series. Prior to the main content, Mark shares a personal update, recent comments, and shares an audio clip of Will Dages from Findaway Voices, 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 Carol discuss: How, back in high school, Carol and a bunch of her friends wrote a great deal of fan fiction Pitching her first co-written book to publishers, and then experimenting with KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) The different series novels that Carol has written and released The origin of the Pets in Space anthology series and the charity it raises funds for "Pigs in Space" from the Muppet Show and how the anthology is meant to be a fun one that doesn't take itself too seriously Each release of the anthology being limited so that the rights can go back to all the individual authors Carol being in numerous editions, then becoming the editor of Pets in Space 6 The curation involved in creating the anthology Cross promotion opportunities for the 11 authors involved in this project How the giant anthology (Approximately 400,000 words) is only produced in eBook and not print (mostly for logistical reasons) The pros and cons of the anthology only being available for a limited time Writing with music, and the "Pets in Space" playlist Susan Smith's song that she wrote and produced How writers interested in being considered for this anthology series can reach out to Carol The fact that other writers are not competition for one another Advice Carol would give her younger self: Outlining is a good thing And more... After the interview, Mark reflects on how easy misunderstandings can happen over different groups in the author and publishing communities using words to mean different products (such as "anthology") and the power of author collaborations. Links of Interest: Carol Van Natta's Website Pets in Space Raia's Song by S.E. Smith The 6 Figure Author Podcast (Episode 102 - How to Keep Yourself from Stressing Out as an Author While Still Achieving Your Goals) Findaway Voices Announcing Marketplace Self-Publishing Insiders Chat with Will Dages (YouTube) The 2nd Annual Online Sci-Fi & Fantasy Writers Conference (Oct 16, 2021) The 2021 NaNoWriMo Writing Tools Storybundle Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Carol Van Natta is a USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning science fiction and fantasy author. Series include the Central Galactic Concordance space opera series that starts with Last Ship Off Polaris-G, Overload Flux, and Minder Rising, and the Ice Age Shifters® paranormal romance series that starts with Shifter Mate Magic and Shift of Destiny. She is also the editor of the Pets in Space 6 science fiction romance anthology. She shares her Fort Collins, CO home with just the right number of mad-scientist cat 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 Canadian author Valerie Francis, a literary editor, podcaster, story nerd, and the bestselling author of the steamy romance, Masquerade (think Bridgerton for the 21st century). Prior to the main content, Mark shares a personal update, recent comments, thanks Patrons and offers a few words about this episode's sponsor regarding their forthcoming marketplace. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. 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 Valerie talk about: - Valerie's introduction to becoming a StoryGrid editor in 2015 when she had finished her first novel, a middle-grade fantasy she had written on instinct The New York trip Valerie took to a two day workshop and how her writing took a quantum leap from that How, despite learning the intricacies of story and breaking elements apart, Valerie hasn't lost her love of story The different tools that writers can use when crafting a story The concept of the "potato chip length" chapter The origin of Valerie's 12 part serialized novel Masquerade The tagline for Masquerade: "What would you do if you knew you wouldn't get caught?" The designs that Valerie commissioned for the print book version Defining the target audience for Masquerade and how it was designed specifically as an escape for them Creating a romance with protagonists in their 40s The five different plot lines involved in the Masquerade story How the entire project of Valerie's novel Immortal came about Learning how to create a story within a story, multiple story lines and a non-linear structure Challenges that come with having to hook your audience multiple times with multiple story lines Throwing away the entire first draft of her manuscript after 18 months of work The fact there are 57 million books on Amazon right now and what that means for authors And more... After the interview, Mark reflects on Valerie's long-term hard work ethic of writing the best books she can and really understanding her target audience. Links of Interest: Valerie Francis' Website Valerie's Book Club Love Stories for Busy Women Psychological Thriller: Immortal Middle Grade Fantasy Books for Writers Episode 104 - Living the Editing & Writing Life with Valerie Francis Episode 199 – Chelle Honiker & Chrishaun Keller-Hanna of Indie Author Magazine Episode 128 - Healthy Home Workspaces with Roland Denzel Findaway Voices Announcing Marketplace The 2nd Annual Online Sci-Fi & Fantasy Writers Conference (Oct 16, 2021) Brantford Public Library Online Workshop: Writing True Ghost Stories (Oct 6 and 7, 2021) Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Canadian writer, Valerie Francis, is the bestselling author of the steamy romance, Masquerade (think Bridgerton for the 21st century). She's also a literary editor, podcaster, and story nerd so obsessed with the craft of storytelling that she's started an online book club featuring stories by, for and about women. Valerie is currently writing her first thriller, Immortal. It's like Gone Girl meets Dracula. 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