Episodes

  • EP 399 - Post Publishing Marketing with Deborah Kevin

    EP 399 - Post Publishing Marketing with Deborah Kevin
    Jan 31 2025

    Mark interviews Deborah Kevin, the visionary founder and chief inspiration officer at Highlander Press, about her new book SHELF LIFE: A Field Guide to Long-Term Author Success.

    Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, and a word from this episode’s sponsor.
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    56 mins
  • EP 398 - Multiple Outlets For Storytelling with Denise Baden

    EP 398 - Multiple Outlets For Storytelling with Denise Baden
    Jan 24 2025

    Mark interviews Denise Baden about the novel/book version of Murder in the Climate Assembly as well as the various incarnations and adaptions she had created for the stage and television.

    Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, and a word about this episode’s sponsor.
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    50 mins
  • EP 397 - In It For The Creativity and Compassion with Ron Vitale

    EP 397 - In It For The Creativity and Compassion with Ron Vitale
    Jan 17 2025
    Mark interviews Ron Vitale about his writing, and his recent unflinching and honest looks at his writing income versus expenses. Prior to the interview, Mark talks about wanting to hear from listeners on THEIR reflections via an online form or via a few Zoom hangouts (see more info here) for forthcoming Episode 400. Mark also shares comments, a personal update and word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place Feb 6 through 9, 2025 in Colorado Springs, CO. Use code: MARK1592 to get $100 off your registration. In their conversation Mark and Ron talk about: Ron growing up in an environment where a family member stuggled with alcoholism and then learning how to heal from some of the trauma experienced in his pastThe 2020 lockdown blog posts that Ron wrote and shared in order to help others who might be dealing with that and giving back to the communityThe four "Let Go And Be Free" books he released that were derived from that blog contentWriting his first short fiction at the age of 9 and his first novel at 16Ron's Masters degree and how his topic related to traumaHow to date Ron's best success as an author has been with his "Let Go and Be Free: 100 Daily Reflections for Adult Children of Alcoholics" booksShooting for 365 reflections for his books, but ending up with 400The value in creating content thinking of the benefit to himself as well as others, and how that worked out extremely well because of the way it hit with the correct audienceHow Ron's fiction titles dealt with most of the same issues, but that they ended up hitting different with the audiencesMaking a decision of what he needs to let go of in order to make more space for focusing on what he wants to do as a writerThe five different fiction series that Ron has written, including a Cinderella fairy tale-inspired series, and a Were-whale series inspired by Moby DickRon's start in indie writing in 2009 and publishing in 2011Why Ron has consistently shared such an honest and unflinching look at the economics of his own publishing journeySharing his annual numbers for about 10 years and how only two of those years were ones where he earned more than he spentHow 2024 was a "non-marketing-spending" year for Ron as an important experimentThe elements of the filter that most people put on before they share something publicly or on social media'The regular habits that Ron says make an important differenceBeing touched by a personal message from a reader who appreciated one of Ron's audiobooks and how it moved herHow Ron isn't in writing just for the money, but for so many other reasonsAnd more... After the interview Mark reflects on a few things Ron said and also shares a special offer to listeners in support of both Ron and the Stark Reflections community, thanks to Mark's coffee buddy Nikki Guerlain. Links of Interest: Ron Vitale's Website Ron's Blog: What I Learned About Indie Publishing in 2024What I Learned About Indie Publishing in 2023What I Learned About Indie Publishing in 20222021 Year End Wrap Up: Full Sales and Expenses EP 396 - Waubgeshig Rice on Community, Publishing, and The Creative JourneyEP 395 - Rants and Reflections From the Road on 2024 Sales SharingForm for Listener Reflections for Episode 400Patreon Article with Zoom Hangout Links (for Episode 400 Listener Reflections)Superstars Writing SeminarsBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Mark's YouTube channelMark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 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
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    53 mins
  • EP 396 - Waubgeshig Rice on Community, Publishing, and The Creative Journey

    EP 396 - Waubgeshig Rice on Community, Publishing, and The Creative Journey
    Jan 10 2025
    Mark interviews Waubgeshig Rice, an author and journalist from Wasauksing First Nation, and the author of four books, most notably the bestselling novels Moon of the Crusted Snow and Moon of the Turning Leaves. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments, a personal update and word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place Feb 6 through 9, 2025 in Colorado Springs, CO. Use code: MARK1592 to get $100 off your registration. In their conversation Mark and Waubgeshig talk about: Waub's interest in high school with English classes but still feeling like there was no strong connection and that not many of the books and stories being taught in Ontario in the 1990s were all that relatableBeing shown books by indigenous authors via his Auntie that weren't being studied in school -- books by authors such as Richard Wagamese, Lee Maracle, Louise Erdrich -- and how that blew his world wide open and included thoughts such as maybe he could do that himself some dayThe Grade 12 Writing Course taught by Tom Bennett at Parry Sound High School that helped Waubgeshig in shaping storiesBeing side-tracked from creative writing by studying and beginning a career in journalismThe benefit of getting to know writers and artists in the Toronto area in the early 2000sApplying for his first writing grant from Canada Council for the Arts in 2004Waub's first book, Midnight Sweat Lodge, a connected short story collectionHow things really changed when Waubgeshig's Moon of the Crusted Snow first came out in 2018Leaving full time journalism employment at CBC to become a full-time writer in 2020The Northeast Blackout of 2003 and how his experiences being back home at Wasauksing First Nation near Parry Sound when it was all going down is what inspired Waubgeshig in writing Moon of the Crusted SnowComing to the realization that home was the best place to be if this were actually a world-ending electricity blackoutThe stereotypes and mythologies about what life on a reservation is, and how, during that dark moment, it was a reminder of the resources and the beauty that place could actually beExpressing the heartfelt spirit of community that has withstood a lot of violence historically, and how that helps a group of people survive this latest major crisisDeciding to set the story in a location that a little further removed from Southern Ontario than where Waubgeshig actually grew upWaub's approach in writing the sequel and wanting it to take place several years after the events in the first novel and how that came to happenHow the second novel explores the way the people of the community are able to live more autonomously on the land as Anishinaabe peopleThe interesting publishing path that Waubgeshig's first novel took in landing at ECW PressWorking with acquiring editor Susan Renouf and how great an experience that was and the wonderful suggestions she made to improve the raw manuscriptThe speculative fiction elements of a post-apocalyptic novel and Waub feeling so accepted in the SF/F communityHow the success of Moon of the Crusted Snow led Waub to getting agent representation by Denise BukowskiThe path that led to Penguin Random House offering the contract for the sequel Moon of the Turning LeavesThe new project that Waub is working on nowAdvice that Waub would offer to other writersAnd more... After the interview Mark reflects on several different things he was thinking about during and after the conversation. Links of Interest: Waubgeshig Rice Website FacebookInstagramTwitterBluesky Superstars Writing SeminarsEP 389 - "Now You've Gone" with Cathy Rankin and Ken K. MaryBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Mark's YouTube channelMark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Waubgeshig Rice is an author and journalist from Wasauksing First Nation. He’s written four books, most notably the bestselling novels Moon of the Crusted Snow, and Moon of the Turning Leaves. He graduated from the journalism program at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2002, and spent most of his journalism career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a video journalist and radio host. He left CBC in 2020 to focus on his literary ...
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • EP 395 - Rants and Reflections From The Road

    EP 395 - Rants and Reflections From The Road
    Jan 3 2025
    Mark shares reflections on his 2024 sales, as well as a bit of a rant about people sharing their 2024 sales without disclaimers about how much they spent, or the other costs involved in achieving those sales. This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie. Links of Interest: Buy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Mark's YouTube channelMark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 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
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    57 mins
  • EP 394 - Centerfold Stories with Charlotte Kemp

    EP 394 - Centerfold Stories with Charlotte Kemp
    Dec 26 2024
    Mark interviews author and former Playboy Playmate Charlotte Kemp about her book CENTERFOLDS. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place Feb 6 through 9, 2025 in Colorado Springs, CO. Use code: MARK1592 to get $100 off your registration. In the interview Mark and Charlotte talk about: Charlotte adjusting her last name Helmkamp into Charlotte Kemp when she first began modelingBeing Playmate of the month December 1982 and the cover model for the October 1983 issue of PlayboyInterviewing about 40 women in order to get the 20 stories that she included in the bookBeing blocked from publishing her book when she'd first started by Hugh HefnerUsing the title "Centerfolds" for her book because she wasn't able to use the term "Playmate" as the trademark is owned by PlayboyHow Charlotte decided which of the stories ended up making it into the bookThe backstory of how Charlotte became Playmate of the Month at the age of 19 Charlotte's self-appointed bodyguard, Lance, who sat outside the Green Room and kept her safe from any men looking to take advantage of an innocent younger "girl next door"How the payment works for Playboy models, which is pay for the first photo shoot but no residuals for re-use of those photos in other issuesLearning how to read when she was two years old and the voracious reading she's been doing since she was youngWhat Charlotte is reading nowThe type of short stories that Charlotte likes to writeCharlotte being the first Playmate to ever have a license from Playboy for the running team that she createdThe Playmates with a Purpose running group fund-raising and brand-raising Charlotte was passionate aboutCharlotte's experience with the Playboy brand in Japan and how the associated merchandise was all high endHow more women have found their voices in recent times and own more of their own properties instead of letting men control themPrince's role in taking back his name, and helping female artists with similar strategies, being a strong champion of womenStories from the book such as one from Cynthia Myers and how she narrowly evaded a fateful event with Charles MansonCharlotte's strong feelings about ensuring she preserved the voices of the people she interviewed for CenterfoldsHow the women Charlotte interviewed were able to open up and share their experiencesThe way that a person could feel "owned" by PlayboyThe short story collection that Charlotte is working on releasingCharlotte's Howard Cosell story And more... After the interview, Mark reflects on his own history as a Playboy magazine reader and writer, as well as a few things Charlotte shared in the interview. Links of Interest: Charlotte's Website InstagramFacebook EP 391 - Networking for Authors with Dale L. RobertsMark's YouTube channelMark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)Buy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Apollo Cinema Christmas Vacation Event (Kitchener, ON - Dec 12, 2024)Sudbury Indie Cinema / Northern Lights Festival Boreal Christmas Vacation Event (Sudbury, ON - Dec 21, 2024)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Charlotte Kemp was Playboy’s “Miss December 1982” and Playboy’s cover model in October 1983. She also appeared in many ads and calendar photos for Playboy. She was the first Playmate ever given a license for “The Playboy Running Team” in 1993 and had ten Playmates on the team who successfully raised money for many charities. Her first book was For My Eyes Only, which includes poetry, prose and short stories. During her working years with Playboy, she was the first to hold the titles of “Miss Budweiser” and “The Best Breasts in the USA.” She has starred and appeared in several commercials and movies, including a top 25 B-Horror film of all time, Frankenhooker. She has appeared on Inside Edition, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and many radio shows all over the country. She has appeared in fourteen foreign editions of Playboy and lived for a time at the Playboy Mansion. 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 ...
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • EP 393 - Book Adjacent Strategies with Jody Swannell

    EP 393 - Book Adjacent Strategies with Jody Swannell
    Dec 19 2024
    Mark interviews author Jody Swannell about her writing and the book ajacent activities and strategies she has employed. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place Feb 6 through 9, 2025 in Colorado Springs, CO. Use code: MARK1592 to get $100 off your registration. In the interview Mark and Jody talk about: How Jody got started in writing about 20/30 years agoSpending at least an hour a week at Chapters big box bookstores back in the day, with dreams of wanting to write a bookThe way that the recent pandemic inspired a lot of people to actually take a shot at some of the things they'd wanted to do for a long timeThe two novels and one novella that Jody has released in the past 3 yearsJody's interest and writing about Tarot card readingSelling books in person at the local markets and how Jody was inspired by seeing local author Richard Stephens thereJody's role as a host of a local community radio program (Readers Delight) on CKMS 102.7 FM - Radio WaterlooThe software and equipment that Jody had to learn how to use in order to host the show as well as the license that needed to be purchasedThe additional work and stress that hosting this show took on JodySome of the things that guests did which made life so challenging for Jody as the hostThe way this show helped Jody connect with so many other local writersWhat creative/writing projects Jody is working on latelyThe success that Jody saw at a recent event (Frightmare in the Falls) by having book-adjacent products.Pivoting from Jody Swannell Author/Books to Jody Swannell BookeryAnd more... After the interview Mark reflects on a few of the ingenius strategies Jody has used to connect with other writers, to learn more, and to grow her author brand, the importance of giving something up when it's not working/causing too much stress, and things NOT to do when you're a guest on a podcast or radio program. Links of Interest: Jody's LinkTree Swannell BookeryInstagram Mark's YouTube channelMark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)Buy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Apollo Cinema Christmas Vacation Event (Kitchener, ON - Dec 12, 2024)Sudbury Indie Cinema / Northern Lights Festival Boreal Christmas Vacation Event (Sudbury, ON - Dec 21, 2024)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Jody Swannell is an author from the beautiful Region of Waterloo. Her love of adventure has taken her on incredible trips, such as visiting castles in Scotland, shopping in the West Edmonton Mall, snorkelling in Jamaica, and photographing glaciers during an Alaskan cruise. Her goal is to keep readers eagerly turning pages while trying to guess what happens next—occasionally adding a splash of romance here and there to spice things up a bit. She loves writing contemporary fiction in thriller, mystery occult, sci-fi and horror genres. 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
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    51 mins
  • EP 392 - Pillars of Author Success with Emma Dhesi

    EP 392 - Pillars of Author Success with Emma Dhesi
    Dec 12 2024
    Mark interviews Emma Dhesi, a bestselling author and certified book coach who educates and inspires first-time authors to fulfil a calling and write their debut novel. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie. New content for patrons has dropped here. In the interview, Mark and Emma talk about: How Emma got started in writing as a child at schoolThe waves of how that "itch" to write kept coming to Emma every 6 months or soThe feeling of writing that first draft and the effective challenge it was for herEmma's first book THE DAY SHE CAME HOME and how it began as an exploration of post-partum depressionThe concept of how engaging in the creative life can provide that balance we needHow it can look different depending on where on the creative journey we are, but the similaritiesThe importance of trying new things, but then recognizing when it's not the right thing for us at that time in our journeyEmma's decision to become an author coach and to help other writers like herThe first book being important "evidence" that you can do itThe value of even a little bit of positive encouragementEmma's focus on a VERY SPECIFIC demographic instead of trying to create a service to please everyoneWhat Emma is working on now in her writing and in her coachingThe online summit Emma is hosting in January 2025 (Be A Bestseller 6.0 - Back to Basics)And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on the intrinsic satisfaction of completely that first novel, the importance of proving to yourself that you CAN do it, of trying new things (but being able to stop if that new thing is not for you), and the value of focusing in on a target audience. Links of Interest: Emma Dhesi's Website Emma's YouTube Channel EP 336 - Coming Out of the Writer Closet With Bradley CharbonneauMark's YouTube channelMark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)Buy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Apollo Cinema Christmas Vacation Event (Kitchener, ON - Dec 12, 2024)Sudbury Indie Cinema / Northern Lights Festival Boreal Christmas Vacation Event (Sudbury, ON - Dec 21, 2024)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Emma Dhesi, bestselling author and certified book coach, educates and inspires first-time authors to fulfil a calling and write their debut novel. Drawing from her own success and training, Emma guides writers to finish their first book through detailed feedback, accountability check-ins, and compassionate support in her year-long 1:1 mentorship. Emma lives in Edinburgh with her husband, three children, three cats, and is passionate about helping authors achieve their dreams through her individualised mentoring. 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
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    51 mins