Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

In this solo episode, Mark shares 10 Ways of Thinking Outside the Ad: Book Marketing ideas that appeal to your target audience. Prior to the main content, Mark gives a bit of an update on how his Kobo Writing Life FREE first book in series is going two weeks out. Then he does the Tongue Twister, suggested by his friend Pete, and sponsored by Findaway Voices. In brief summary, here are the 10 Ways of Thinking Outside the AD that Mark shares: 1) FOOD & DRINK & BOOKS Mark shares a few thoughts about Julie Strauss with her "Chef in Love" romance books - in particular the amazing Prosecco Heart novel and how that could so brilliantly be tied in to delightful pairings. Food and drink and reading. This would be the ideal book to give to a wine lover and romance reader. Or maybe package a CD, a book and a bottle of wine with it - it wouldn't have to be a Prosecco although that does nicely tie-in with the title, placed on an author table as a suggestion for how it could be part of an excellent creative gift package. 2) ATTENTION MARKETING PROMO INFO & SWAG Mark talks about a few examples from The Jewels of Historical Romance - and how they sent the chocolates to the retailers. Puts them above and beyond. Chris Mandeville - and her book Seeds - brilliant idea Deborah Cooke's Book Charms Glynnis Campbell's Bookish Swag - Lords with Swords letter opener 3) ATTENTION MARKETING PACKAGING Based on a few packages mailed to Mark when he was at Kobo from Publishers Group Canada, Mark shares how the inventive packaging for the following books created a memorable and sharable entity: Peter James LOVE YOU DEAD Anne Cleaves COLD EARTH 4) UNIQUE & BOOK-SPECIFIC SWAG How Madison Avery created an enscribed penny based on the "Penny for your thoughts" story from her erotic romance collection CAPTURING THE MUSE (all the stories involve female writers and erotic entanglements with her muse, who often takes the form of a sexy man) Mark's own idea for using t-shirts to advertise local bookstores and libraries where he had scheduled book events that included an "I love to haunt [LOCATION] motif advertising the bookstore 5) PROPS Mark talks about his his of the full life skeleton Barnaby as a prop that he uses as a way to draw in the ideal target readers for his books (as well as to keep away those who are not interested in the macabre), as well as the way that a visual prop specifically related to the book content, can be an easily identifiable differentiator 6) HIGHWAY BILLBOARDS Though it's not an easy or common thing to do, Mark has witnessed how effective a series of highway billboard ads can be. He shares the huge success that author Brian Horeck saw with his books Minnow Trap and Frozen Beneath. This is a demonstration of strategic marketing to a target audience (Northern Ontario readers) and aggressive and intelligent salesmanship to ensure the book was available at various non-traditional stores on that northern highway. 7) VEHICLE ADVERTISEMENTS Similar to highway signs is the concept of advertising using your own vehicle. Mark was inspired by T S Paul and his car wrap concept. Mark invested in a much more cost-effective car magnet purchase for his own vehicle. Since Mark's skeleton Barnaby is already sitting in the car all the time, why not put something on the side of the car that explains why the skeleton is there? 8) COMIC CONS Mark took advantage of a specific target audience to start buying tables to sell print books (which still represent 70 to 80% of the book industry overall market) to the core group of fans most likely to enjoy his books. He also talks a bit about Armand Rosamilia and the Beers N Fears Tour and how this unique merger of local interest with craft beer worked extremely well. 9) LOCATION BASED APPS & SHARING Mark talks about sharing content and quotes from his books on Foursquare (Swarm) as well as using apps like Squirl to introduce locations from where books are set. Mark also shares the Spirits Untapped Google map that he and Liz created and as well as the Macabre Montreal map as a no cost (except for time) way of increasing SEO for content based on locations from books. 10) LIVE VIDEOS & SMALL FISH Mark shares his experiences experimenting with live videos via his #FreeFridayFrights. He shares a bit about the explosion that happened with a video he recorded just this past Friday while up in my home town of Levack Ontario His "Facebook Live" video about a ghost on Level 2650 of Levack Mine reached well over 3500 views and continues to get re-shared. Compared with the standard dozen to two dozen views most of his videos have received, this is a blockbuster. It speaks to something Mark learned from his friend Robert J. Sawyer years ago - and that is the importance of defining yourself as a big fish in a small pool. Mark shares how that "big fish in small pool" has elevated sales of one particular book.

Mark interviews Laura and Daniel Martone, former residents of New Orleans who now travel the country in their mobile writing studio, a cozy RV dubbed Serenity. Together they write urban fantasy, post-apocalyptic, time travel, epic fantasy, and space opera novels. Prior to the interview, Mark shares an update on the recent FREE promotion that he paid for via the Kobo Writing Life PROMOTIONS tab. We also talks about the importance for authors to listen, learn and then to adapt what they are seeing, hearing and learning into strategies and tactics that work best for them and their own unique goals and publishing plans. Then he launches the Tongue Twister segment, which is sponsored by Findaway Voices. You can learn more about Findaway Voices at www.starkreflections.ca/findaway. In the interview, Mark talks with Daniel and Laura about: The way they met via the world of films and film festivals The experience of having a horror screenplay altered to the tune of a director's completely different interpretation of their script The storytelling aspect of creating virtual audio ghost tours The incredible patience involved in working on building a product line and listening and learning for more than a year before launching their first collaboratively published book series The planned-out release schedule that they struggle with sticking to for their Space Opera series and their Zombie series How they work together to split the work required in creating and writing their books What Dan calls a "Skeleton Draft" which is a hybrid between a screenplay and story beats of about 17,000 words Laura's next step of taking that draft and fleshing it out into a "well nourished" format The next step where Dan then trims and cuts the 60,000 or 70,000 word draft back down by 5,000 or so words The 9 arc structure that each book they write fulfills Intertwining their different series in a multiverse that they have created How their background in film and screenwriting has woven itself into their writing process Playing off each others skills, preferences, passions and work habits for the ultimate complimentary benefit Being fans of the Supernatural TV show and Joss Whedon's Firefly and the impact that has had on their personal and creative lives Serenity, their mobile home The nature of learning and then adapting the things they have absorbed and learned into their own unique strategies How Laura was inspired by Lindsay Buroker, in particular her expressions of: "Be genuine, be generous" The lack of confidence that can result from not hitting that publish button (which can be a crippling thing for a writer – ie, just STARTING is sometimes the key, otherwise, one might never start) and the concept of learning from doing The collaboration that Laura and Daniel are doing with a larger group of authors (currently 43 writers) for a forthcoming massive project that will be releasing later this year – (Mark gets them to promise to return to the podcast to share an update on that project) The favorite bit of writing advice that resonates with each of them Where The Martones will be traveling (in Serenity) for the remainder of this year (including 20Booksto50K Vegas) After the interview, Mark reflects on a couple of things that his conversation with Laura and Daniel made him think about. One of those items was about that moment where a writer hesitates with their finger over the "publish" button and the wonder of whether or not they should go back to one more re-write, one more edit, one more re-polish before either publishing the manuscript or perhaps submitting it to an agent or editor. Links of Interest: The Martones Smarter Artist Summit Bundlerabbit Findaway Voices

In this episode, Mark interviews Danièle Cybulskie about how she translated her passion for The Middle Ages into featured articles at Medievalists.net that have reached more than half a million readers, has had her work as a subject matter specialist adopted for nine Ontario colleges, had created fun and informative books such as The Five-Minute Medievalist, Six Steps to Better Historical Fiction and many other great titles, not to mention fascinating speaking gigs, including a TedX talk, and as an author coach. Before the interview, Mark welcomes new Patreon Supporter Jamie Davis, thanks Patrons for their support and introduces this episode's tongue twister, sponsored by Findaway Voices, which is in honor of Book Expo America taking place in New York. The tongue twister is: "You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York" Mark also shares a few personal updates, including a recently released BookNet Canada suvey result about 2017 Publishing Trends as well as an experiment he is doing related to a FREE book promotion he is running at Kobo. In the feature interview, Mark and Danièle talk about: How she has been writing for Medievalists.net for a number of years and has more than 150 articles published there Her passion for coaching authors in authenticity and accuracy for the smallest details about the Middle Ages Her favourite century, (the 14th Century) because it contained the Black Death and The Hundred Years War The most common elements that writers get wrong (it often involves food and clothing) The risks of getting one's historical elements only from fiction and movies Whether or not Holy Hand Grenade (as seen in the Arthurian Legend spoof film Monty Python and the Holy Grail) might have actually existed. (There WAS gun powder in Europe in that era) How the use of guns and canons changed the use of armour and the way castles were built Because Mark couldn't resist bringing up the coconuts in the aforementioned Monty Python movie, the historic scholar who has studied medieval coconuts The inaccurate food that is served at a particular "Medieval" style family dinner theatre show that contains foods that never existed in Europe at the time, such as potatoes Danièle book The Five Minute Medievalist and The Five Minute Medievalist's Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse Her forthcoming release (recently signed with a UK publisher), Medieval Europe in Fact and Fiction How sitting at home with her first baby was her introduction towards sharing what she had studied through writing The challenge she has been enjoying writing the different survival guides each month, including the way that she used Twitter to help decide the latest title What she likes reading for pleasure (dystopian futures) and what her favorite medieval movie is (A Knight's Tale) How learning about the differences and the similarities of people in different historical periods can give us a better and more well-rounded ability to understand and have compassion for different cultures and people in our world today After the interview, Mark reflects on how he uses history for his own non-fiction writing. Links of Interest: Danièle Cybulski's website Danièle's Books Danièle's TedX Talk Danièle's YouTube Channel Findaway Voices BookNet Canada Mark's Nocturnal Screams Series Nocturnal Screams Books at Kobo

This episode includes clips of interviews that Mark conducted on a tour through the Findaway offices in Cleveland, Ohio that took place on Tuesday May 22nd. Mark chats with folks from the Findaway Voices team (Will, Wes and Eric) as well as Findaway CEO Mitch Kroll. In the introduction, Mark shares a few updates, including an update of the latest video for Patreon supporters and then explains the three levels of support that include ($1 - Plot Outline (Bronze), $3 - First Draft (Silver) and $5 - Completed Manuscript (Gold). He thanks new and existing Patreon supporters. Mark also shares some details about the percentage share of his eBook retail sales for 2017, revealing that 77% of his eBook earnings came from Kindle with Kobo coming in second at 17%. He also noted that Google started to make a return in terms of his eBook sales in 2017 and has already well surpassed his iBooks sales in 2018. Mark shares his own experiences with publishing exclusively to Kindle via KDP Select to try to leverage the Kindle Unlimited reading income opportunities) and why, strategically, he has been a part of the program since it first launched, even when he was in charge of Kobo's self-publishing platform. He also discusses a short story series "Nocturnal Screams" that he originally rolled out in KDP Select a year ago, but is now releasing wide. For this episode's tongue twisters, Mark turns the tables on Will Dages from Findaway Voices (sponsor of the Tongue Twister segment) and gets HIM to read the tongue twister. In the episode's central interview with Mitch Kroll, Findaway Co-Founder and CEO, Mark and Mitch talk about: The interesting origin of the name Findaway and how the term "Findawayer" and a misplaced thumb late one night led to the spark of inspiration The atmosphere and spirit of the entire Findaway company's culture How, independent of audio or the product set in general, it was all about building a place where a bunch of dynamic people (with Findawayer DNA) who could do great work The little quotes and core value slogans that appear in small font text on walls throughout the Findaway offices How the entire company was originally built on the Playaway devices, which introduced disruption and innovation to the industry The manner by which a talk by Steve Jobs is something Mitch and his co-founders derived inspiration from when building the first Playaway devices How, after selling more than 6 Million Playaway devices, the simple yet effective innovation remains a growth business The balance that Findaway plays in serving the needs of content producers (publishers and authors), curators of audio (retailers and libraries) and consumers/readers The origin of the name "Findaway Voices" and how it relates to the voice and the freedom that it gives back to independent authors Mark then speaks with Will Dages about One of his favourite elements of working at Findaway Voices and Findaway (the amazing people) The Nebula Awards and Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America conference Will recently returned from where he shared information about the "pay for circulation" library purchasing model that raised a number of eyebrows Mark chats with Wes from the audio quality team at Findaway Voices about: One of the most common issue that he regularly has to deal with, related to specification issues The education and resources that Wes regularly shares with audio producers and authors in his daily work The importance of fixing things at the source (ie, when the audio is being recorded) Mark then speaks with Eric from the Business Development team at Findaway Voices about: The role that Eric plays in helping the Voices publishing arm in the creation of audiobooks through partnerships The importance of strategic partnerships for the creation of high quality audiobook solutions A side-conversation carry-over from lunch about Marvel superheroes and how this connects Venom with Captain America After the interviews, Mark reflects on the day spent at Findaway, how Findaway Voices was a remarkable turning point for indie authors and the things he learned from looking at his Findaway Voices sales reports, and a few new strategies he intends on implementing based on this experience. Links of Interest Findaway Findaway Voices Global Audiobook Opportunities for Authors (Episode 5) - Interview with Kelly Lytle from Findaway Voices Mark's Amazon Author Page Mark's Kobo Page Bumps in the Night Nocturnal Screams (Short story collection series) Night Cries Ode to Classics Dark Shadows Literary Haunts Unexpected Strangers Z is for Zombie Something Wicked

This episode features an interview with J Thorn and Zach Bohannon. They talk not only about the collaboration that the two of them do, but also a few of their more adventurous collaborations with other authors including the original train journey with Joanna Penn and Lindsay Buroker and how that unique writing experience evolved into an ongoing AUTHORS ON A TRAIN voyage from Chicago to New Orleans as well as an awesome 50th Anniversary of George A Romero's classic film NIGHT OF THE WALKING DEAD and how that relates to J and Zach's NIGHT OF THE WRITING DEAD event. Mark provides a personal update on the video views for his #FreeFridayFrights experiment and then shares the evil reaction he had to creating two "silly" versions of the Laurel VS Yanny audio debate. (He created a RickRoll version, reminding writers to get back to writing, as well as a JumpScare one, because, well, he thought it was funny). He notes that the short and silly videos are trending much higher than the more serious reading ones he has done. The Terrible Tongue Twister, sponsored by Findaway Voices, was provided by Laura and Daniel Martone, who will be featured guests in a forthcoming podcast. They asked for another Monty Python inspired accent to read it in, and the Australian accent from the troop's Bruce Sketch came up. After a terrible attempt at singing the Bruce's Philosopher's Song, Mark twists his tongue and likely offends multiple groups of people, from Python fans, to Australians, to beer drinkers and philosophers. Mark thanks the users who have sent feedback and comments as well as the listeners who have become Patreon supporters of the podcast. In the interview, Mark, J and Zach talk about: How Zach and J started collaborating when Zach first became a fan of and then reached out to J The system for how their writing collaborations work and the way they leverage their unique strengths What StoryGrid is and how it shouldn't frighten the math averse The five basic components to story structure J and Zach's The Career Author Podcast, why they collaborated on it and how the process of putting the show together works The analytics of story that they two of them share on what makes a scene work and what makes a story work The original of the AUTHORS ON A TRAIN retreat with the original train trip from Chicago to New Orleans, and how it evolved into something that a slightly larger group of authors can get involved with Details about the forthcoming NIGHT OF THE WRITING DEAD that they are planning for later this year The difficult to measure yet critical value of in person connections After the conversation, Mark shares his own experience having just written a zombie story set at the Monroeville Mall in Pittsburgh (where the Romero film was shot and where NIGHT OF THE WRITING DEAD event will be taking place). He then reflects on something important that J and Zach speak about. Even though it was the revolution of digital publishing that has allowed authors to make a full time living off of their writing, a unique time in the history of writing, there's still something critical and important about real-world direct connections. Links of Interest All About the Fictional Worlds of J Thorn & Zach Bohannon: www.moltenuniverse.com J Thorn's Website J Thorn's Amazon Author Page Zach Bohannon's Website Zach Bohannon's Amazon Author Page The Career Author Podcast Authors on a Train Night of the Writing Dead The Sell More Books Show Summit Findaway Voices Patreon Page for Stark Reflections Mark's Z is for Zombie digital collection of short stories Marks Books at Dundurn The Rush themed 2113 Anthology edited by Kevin J. Anderson Zach Bohannon writes horror, fantasy, and post-apocalyptic science fiction. He is the author of the bestselling post-apocalyptic horror series, Empty Bodies. J. Thorn is a Top 100 Most Popular Author in Horror, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure and Fantasy (Amazon Author Rank). He has published over one million words and has sold more than 170,000 books worldwide.

Episode 20 is a solo episode where, in response to a few listeners who reached out and asked if he'd be willing to share more about his background and experience as an author, he takes the opportunity to reveal his own writer journey and the lessons learned along the way. Prior to the lessons, Mark shares a bit of a personal update that includes the following: Work on the forthcoming traditionally published book MACABRE MONTREAL which he is co-authoring with Shayna Krishnasamy Work on the forthcoming anthology he is editing for WMG Publishing called FEEL THE LOVE The new goal of weight-lifting at the gym now that the 21 K half marathon goal was reached (and the interesting way that ties in to LESSON ONE) This episodes "Twisting by the Fool" Tongue Twister, sponsored by Findaway Voices came from a listener request. Mark does both the requested tongue twister as well as in the voice/accent specified by that same listener. He informs listeners that if there is a particular tongue twister they want him to try, or even if there is a silly voice they want to hear it in, to email (mark@markleslie.ca) or ping him on Twitter (@MarkLeslie) The first lesson Mark shares is in relation to being open to new perceptions, new ways of seeing things and how, sometimes, locking ourselves into a fixed view can potentially lead to us limiting ourselves. He shares his own experience with the gym in this regard as well as a look back on how, just a little over ten years ago, he was biased and prejudiced against self-publishing. He shares what and how his eyes were opened in that regard. The second lesson that Mark shares takes him back to his earliest days of discovering the love for storytelling and writing. And that is the magic that happens with the pen kisses the page. Of something being created now and enjoyed later. Writers take that for granted, but it is tinkering with immortality. The third lesson has to do with the learning that happens when you are first writing and how, even when creating something that might be considered throw-away early fan-fiction style writing, there's a lesson to be learned. Mark shares what writing a terrible novel at the age of 13 taught him about discipline and sacrifice and so many elements that are important for a novelist to learn.

In Episode 19, Mark interviews Bruce Outridge, an artist, speaker, podcaster, television host, columnist, consultant and coach. I'm sure I missed a few things Bruce does there, because the man certainly fits a lot into a day. The podcast features a fifteen minute interview with Bruce as well as a couple of short clips from his Cashing in on Creativity podcast which has a format that is as fun and unique as Bruce himself. The interview took place at a Hamilton bar called The Ship. So you'll hear the ambient noise of music and chatter in the background. The Terrible Tongue Twister is sponsored by Findaway Voices. This one is a longer piece about a "pheasant plucker" not a pleasant fellow . . . In their interview, Bruce and Mark discuss: Bruce's podcast, Cashing in on Creativity and how authors can use it for inspiration and ideas from other creative people and independent artists for their own creative journey The passion that Bruce has for music and why he uses his podcast to feature and spotlight independent musicians Bruce's natural inclination for being open to opportunity and to saying "yes" The belief, Bruce has, that people need an option The importance of looking beyond one's own industry for learning, growth and ideas Bruce's background as a trucker (he has been a driver for more than 25 years), and how that led to writing for the trucking industry, the trucking specific podcast he produces and the speaking he does for that industry The challenge of wearing multiple hats when it comes to branding and how Bruce manages that using blocks of time Bruce's favorite piece of advice that creative people should attend to Mark then plays a couple of short clips from two of Bruce's recent podcast episodes that he found inspiring. After the interviews and clips, Mark shares a reflection about the networking that led him and Bruce to connecting and talks about that element which Bruce started off the interview discussing (and which is mentioned by Ann Brown in an episode of Bruce's own podcast) - being open to opportunity and authentic connections with others. He shares his own example of connecting with fellow author Julie Strauss and the benefits to writing and personal life that came from a few chance encounters that a friendship grew out of. Links of Interest: Bruce's Cashing in On Creativity Podcast Interview with Ann Brown – "Being Happy Being You" Interview with Supastarr – "True Determination" Bruce's website Free Book – How to Start an Artistic Business Bruce's Facebook Page Bruce on Twitter Bruce on Instagram Julie Strauss - Author Julie's Books Julie's Blog - Post on Adult Friendships The Ship (Hamilton Bar where interview with Bruce took place) Findaway Voices

In Episode 18, Mark interviews Ricardo Fayet, one of the founders of Reedsy, an online marketplace connecting authors with top editors, designers, ghostwriters and publicists. An avid reader and a person who travels the world to attend industry events and author conferences, Ricardo shares his insights and tips for authors, including a number of free resources that authors should be taking advantage of. In the introductory segment, Mark shares an update on the forthcoming half-marathon he has been training for with his partner, Liz, and also shares some information about their next collaborative project, the book Spirits Untapped: Haunted Bars & Breweries. In the Terrible Tongue Twister segment, sponsored by Findaway Voices, Mark doesn't trip over his tongue. It's a first in this ongoing series that makes Mark usually look like quite the fool. In their interview, Ricardo and Mark discuss: How Ricardo got involved in co-founding Reedsy straight out of business school via discussions with co-founder Emmanuel Nataf about the need for authors to find quality professional services The travel, book shows and author conferences Reedsy travels to and the growth the company has seen both internally and the many freelancers that are on the platform The vetting that is done for the professional services offered and how only 3% of applicants are approved to be listed on the platform How an author would use Reedsy to find, for example, a developmental editor for a particular genre (using Mark working on a non-fiction paranormal book, as an example) The various service providers that you will find listed on Reedsy (including editors, book design, book cover design, illustrators, web designers, ghost writers, publicity and promotions and book marketers) The free online editing tool (Reedsy Book editor) that allows authors to export a perfectly formatted ePub or PDF document for POD printing The more than 35 free online email text-based courses that Reedsy has available. (Which provide a daily 5 minutes per day way for an author to learn something new that they are interested in) How Reedsy makes money, and a comparison to another company that offered services and wasn't transparent about their business model Ricardo's impression of the industry having just returned from London Book Fair The predators whose practices prey on the hopes and dreams of writers and Ricardo's frustration with these companies Trends in the maturing indie publishing community that Ricardo is paying attention to both in English language markets as well as in Europe in German, French and Italian Why authors shouldn't just jump in and hire a marketing expert (one of the most common questions Ricardo receives) and the Book Marketing 101 Free Course on Reedsy that helps authors learn the core basics that can help them before they look at hiring a book marketer After the interview, Mark shares his thoughts and reflections on the free resources available, specifically calling out some of the free Reedsy resources that Ricardo mentions and how authors might be able to incorporate those types of free learning opportunities into their daily routine. He thanks the patrons who are supporting the podcast on Patreon and thanks listeners for offering him their free time in listening to the podcast. Use this affiliate link to sign up for a free account at Reedsy and get a $20 credit towards any purchases there. Links of Interest: Reedsy Blog Online Editing Tool Free Online Courses Ricardo's Article on 12 Book Marketing Mistakes Authors Make - https://blog.reedsy.com/book-marketing-mistakes/ The Creative Penn Podcast Kindlepreneur website Tomes of Terror: Haunted Bookstores & Libraries Free Friday Frights NINC (Novelist's INC) Conference Haslam's Bookstore Sixty Spooky Seconds about the ghost of Jack Kerouac

In this episode, Mark interviews Steena Holmes. Steena Holmes is an Award winning USA Today and Amazon best-selling author from Calgary, Alberta who writes psychological suspense, family drama, women's fiction and sweet romance. She publishes under an Amazon-owned imprint as well as her own self-publishing imprint, is a fan of reading, of chocolate and of traveling. Speaking of traveling, Steena, who is a wife and the mother of three daughters, has created an authentic and dynamic relationship with her readers, who she has been a caring and loving tour guide through as she took them on a unique journey with her on her path through writing. In our conversation, we talk a lot about the importance of this relationship with her readers and in always putting them first. Before the interview, Mark provides a personal update on the following items: His half-marathon training schedule His recent short fiction writing, including a zombie story to appear in Z IS FOR ZOMBIE Some non-fiction writing he has been doing, both short articles as well as the new book he is working on about writing and publishing (which he has written 14,000 words for so far this week) The status of the #FreeFridayFrights project, including some underwhelming responses and views from his recent Friday the 13th Facebook live and YouTube posted videos – but, (AND THIS IS IMPORTANT), why this isn't something to be down about Mark then shares this week's Terrible Tongue Twister, sponsored by Findaway Voices. This week's twister (especially since you won't be able to understand what the poor boy is trying to say) is: Three sweet switched Swiss witches Watch three washed Swiss witch Swatch watch switches. Which sweet switched Swiss witch watches Which washed Swish Swatch watch switch? In their conversation, Mark and Steena talk about: Steena's hot new release, The Forgotten Ones, a psychological suspense novel that explores the deep dark secrets that are kept hidden from family The inspiration behind the writing of The Forgotten Ones, which came from a really dark time and place in Steena's life How, despite the darkness of the novel, this was the easiest novel of the more than thirty books that Steena has written Steena's first novel, Finding Emma, which was a runaway bestseller and the differences between that novel and her latest novel The journal that Steena took her readers on as she slowly migrated across genres The promise that a writer makes to readers with every book that they release and the importance of honoring that promise The emphasis Steena placed in focusing on the readers rather than the sales with each book's release One of Steena's pet peeves in a "Don't Do This" bit of advice for authors How an author can create a genuinely authentic relationship with their readers The tremendous response that Steena receives from readers after she shares a personable and relatable post on her blog Ways that an author can be personable and relatable without revealing personal and private details about their life or their families lives How Steena writes different books in different ways and in different locations to help create a distinction between book projects The way Steena plans on dealing with a recently missed deadline The juggling of writing books for a publisher and her self-publishing imprint Attempts to retain the creative writing into different parts of the day How in the first six months of publishing, Steena made a mere $100; but, in the first month of Finding Emma's release, she sold 10,000 copies How the readers of Finding Emma kept wanting more and more of the characters and their stories and the various ways Steena fulfilled their needs (without realizing that many of those things were things that a writer supposedly "couldn't do") The lesson Steena learned when someone called her out on rushing a book to press by saying "You're better than this, and your readers deserve better than this." Steena's "Branding with Intent" series of emails for writers After the interview, Mark reflects about Steena's talk about being personable and someone that readers could relate to. He also reflects on authenticity. Links of Interest: Steena's website Findaway Voices

Stark Reflections Episode 16 – Crowd-Funding and Audience Engagement with Natasha Bajema Mark interviews Natasha Bajema, a fiction author who lives in Washington, D.C. and has been an expert on national security issues for over 18 years, specializing in weapons of mass destruction (WMD), nuclear proliferation, terrorism and emerging technologies. In the introduction, Mark performs a Terrible Tongue Twister, sponsored by Findaway Voices and also goes off on a rant about how much time and energy authors waste worrying about Amazon's latest "scandal." In the interview, Mark and Natasha discuss: Natasha's background working for the United States Department of Defence in National Security for 18 years, specializing in Weapons of Mass Destruction and how recent research into emerging technologies has inspired some of the concepts in her new trilogy The original nuclear conspiracy trilogy she had originally been working on before she followed a whim to pursue the ideas behind the novel Bionic Bug The challenge that a new writer faces when attempting to build up their audience and how Natasha faced that fear of "publishing to crickets" by engaging in crowd funding Nanowrimo and the roll it has played in her life as a writer The conversation Natasha had with Mark at the Smarter Artist Summit in Austin in the spring of 2017, and how that chat played a role in the turning point she was stuck at The Kickstarter Project that Natasha launched and her reasoning behind it The decision behind various rewards offered, including the "uber" limited edition idea Natasha was inspired about from listening to Joanna Penn's The Creative Penn podcast Where in her life as a full-time employee she finds/makes the time to write (which works out to about 10 hours per week) The book launch party at Wicked Bloom (an actual setting from a scene early in BIONIC BUG) taking place on April 18th and how she is dealing with that as an introvert Why Natasha is publishing the book, as part of a soft launch strategy, only on Kobo and the five-star reviews the book has already received there Why Natasha is going to wait much longer before releasing the books on Amazon The difficulty putting aside a huge passion project Natasha had been investing in (at least emotionally) since 2010 in order to pursue the BIONIC BUG trilogy The importance of patience and discipline in Natasha's long-term strategy as an author, and the family traits that she believes she inherited Natasha's passion with the intersection of what is technologically possible and what society will accept and adopt (such as wondering whether or not Americans will ever accept a technology like self-driving cars) The love Natasha has for the works of Michael Crichton and similar styled techno-thrillers that rely on speculation about near real-time science and technology Natasha's new podcast where she will be talking about emerging technologies similar to the things that she likes to write about and then include an excerpt from her novel as well as insights into the inspiration behind the writing of that chapter After the interview, Mark reflects on the importance of the investment that Natasha made into every single decision as she gathered information for her publishing journey and the choices she made related to not looking for short-term gain, but, instead, with a focus on the long-term strategy. He reflects on how this speaks directly to advice he admires from an author friend, James A. Owen, and shares a short audio clip from James' Drawing Out The Dragons book that further illustrates this point. Mark speculates that Natasha's diligence and patience are going to lead to a greater long term success as an author and applauds her for taking this important and difficult long-term view. Links of Interest: Natasha's website Natasha's WICKED BLOOM Podcast James A Owen's website James A Owen's Drawing Out the Dragons Findaway Voices