Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

1 hour 5 minutes

EP 476 - Not Your Granny's Grammar with Patty McGee

Mark interviews grammar educator Patty McGee about her new book NOT YOUR GRANNY'S GRAMMAR as well as how grammar should be approachable rather than feared.

Prior to the interview Mark comments from recent episodes and related Stark Reflections content, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report.

In the interview, Mark and Patty talk about:

Talk about:

Patty's background as a teacher and how she tried to make the experience as rich as possible for students
The challenge of when she first approached teaching grammar
Looking for a new time of entry point for grammar learning
Grammar being more than just the traditional basics, including sentence construction and sentences types that can make our writing more fluid and better express what we want readers to experience in our writing
How identifying parts of speech in grammar has often become a kind of gatekeeping element in how to use grammar
Patty being a literary consultant but preferring to call herself a "traveling teacher"
How a lot of adults carry a lot of baggage about grammar
Removing the punitive nature of the way grammar is approached and taught
Patty's use of grammatical manipulatives and being allowed to play with them
Certain long-time rules such as the "comma splice" rule that might be going away due to common modern use
How handwriting is one of the most useful ways of remembering and building skills by firing more neurons than typing does
Things to remember about the discomfort and fear of grammar such as "grammar isn't rules, grammar is art" and "grammar isn't rules, grammar is style"
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on a few things about the conversation and also interjects with something from his personal update that he forgot.

Links of Interest:

Patty McGee's Website
Article: Survival Dance: How Humans Waltzed Through the Ice Age
Article: With This Pen, I Thee Connect
- Patreon Version
- Substack Version
Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%)
Buy Mark a Coffee
Patreon for Stark Reflections
Mark's YouTube channel
ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link)
Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
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
The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises

Patty McGee is a nationally recognized literacy consultant, speaker, and educator passionate about transforming classrooms into spaces where language and learning come alive. With decades of experience as a teacher, coach, and advocate for delightful literacy practices, Patty has worked alongside educators across the country, partnering to unlock the full potential of their students through innovative and practical teaching strategies. Not Your Granny's Grammar is her third book. Connect with Patty at www.pattymcgee.org.

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

29 May 2026, 1:38 pm

1 hour 19 minutes

EP 475 - Writing Emotions and Making the Reader Feel with Jeff Elkins

Mark interviews Jeff Elkins, The Dialogue Doctor, about writing emotion and a new in person gathering he's organizing in Baltimore in late 2026.

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

This episode is sponsored by Author Nation, being held in Las Vegas Nov 13 through 14, 2026

Learn more about Author Nation and register at AuthorNation.live.

During their conversation, Mark and Jeff talk about:

Jeff's latest book in the Dialogue Doctor series on writing emotions
How Jeff has never really done any marketing for his books
Struggling with intense self doubt
Co-authoring with JP Rindfleisch IX
The concept of thinking about how a scene makes the reader feel instead of how the character feels
How in a world of AI you should be the most human you can be and how it leads to the question: "What does it look like, what does it mean to write like a human?"
Seven different ways you can manipulate the reader's emotional journey and how they've come from the coaching Jeff does with authors
Recentering our story around the question of what our character's growth is
The book THE ANTI-RACISM WORKSHOP
The concept of the reader's ally character to either increase or relieve the pressure, or tension in a moment
Jeff's in person gathering happening in Baltimore later this year
And more...

After the interview, Mark reflects on four different things from the conversation, and includes an additional personal update that comes with a reflection.

Links of Interest:

The Dialogue Doctor
The Fiction Makers Conference (Aug 22, 23, 2026)
Jeff's Previous Appearances
- EP 312 - The Dialogue Doctor Will See You Now With Jeff Elkins
- EP 266 - "Let's Talk Dialogue with Jeff Elkins," He Said Reflectively
- EP 157 - A Conversation with Jeff Elkins, The Dialogue Doctor
- EP 226 - Reflective Round Table - December 2021
- EP 172 - Understanding and Navigating Gender
Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%)
Buy Mark a Coffee
Patreon for Stark Reflections
Mark's YouTube channel
ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link)
Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
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
The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises

Jeff Elkins is the founder of the Dialogue Doctor where he and two other passionate coaches help authors and provides free resources and a supportive community. He's the author of 13 novels, 5 books on the craft of writing, and over 100 short stories. He has worked with hundreds of authors over the years and helped thousands more via his many resources, his public speaking, and the Dialogue Doctor podcast.

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

22 May 2026, 10:27 am

58 minutes 51 seconds

EP 474 - Horror and Speculative Fiction and Poetry with Colleen Anderson

In this episode Mark interviews Canadian writer Colleen Anderson about writing horror and speculative fiction and poetry as well as non-fiction articles.

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

This episode is sponsored by Author Nation, being held in Las Vegas Nov 13 through 14, 2026

Learn more about Author Nation and register at AuthorNation.live.

In the interview, Mark and Colleen talk about:

How they've known each other mostly online
Colleen's editing of the Tesseracts Seventeen anthology which Mark had a story in
The Canadian horror anthology that Mark and Colleen Anderson are going to be which is coming in December 2026
Colleen's forthcoming poetry collection (TO THE LAST ION) and the poetry collection she published last year
How Colleen uses such things as an instance of alien abduction and body horror in one of her poems to illustrate societal observations about things like the way we do body modifications or live within a world of stereotypes
The prevalence of body horror lately and how it's often about a loss of control
A look at universal monsters in a recent article Colleen wrote
A definition of what body horror is, and a discussion of the Bram Stoker Award winning novel Queen of Teeth
The days of paper manuscript submissions and the logistics involved in that
The open mic workshop that takes place at places like StokerCon for speculative and horror poetry
How Colleen decides what format an idea is going to take
Putting in her "poet brain" instead of her "fiction writer brain" in some instances
The methods Colleen uses to find markets to submit her writing to and how some of them work
Finding and applying for various grants for writers/artists/creatives
Advice Colleen would offer to writers wanting to submit their writing to various markets
Colleen's first experience doing a live reading
Some of the conferences Colleen is going to be attending in the next little while
Where people can find Colleen online

After the interview Mark reflects on the value of writing and submitting short pieces and the potential earning. He also talks about CanCon and the way different music/sounds can stir up emotions and deep memories and even things like Canadian pride.

Links of Interest:

Colleen Anderson has been widely published across eight countries, with works appearing in publications such as Weird Tales, Cemetery Dance, Amazing, and Shadow Atlas. Rhysling Award winner for "Machine (r)Evolution" and a two-time winner of the SFPA's dwarf poetry contest, she has been nominated for Pushcart, Elgin, Rhysling, and Dwarf Stars Awards. She is a Canada Council, BC Arts Council and Ladies of Horror Fiction grant recipient. Her poetry collections include The Lore of Inscrutable Dreams, I Dreamed a World, Weird Worlds, and Vellum Leaves and Lettered Skins as well as two fiction collections A Body of Work and Embers Amongst the Fallen. Colleen freelances as an editor, and has served on the SFPA executive, as well as British Fantasy Award and Stoker juries. She lives in Vancouver, BC where she searches for mermaids.

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

14 May 2026, 11:01 pm

1 hour 21 minutes

EP 473 - Creativity and Devotionals for Caregivers Who Don't Need Another Inspirational Slogan with Donn King

Mark interviews Donn King about his new book ANCHORED FOR THE STORM, about caregiving, and about creativity.

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

This episode is sponsored by Author Nation, being held in Las Vegas Nov 13 through 14, 2026

Learn more about Author Nation and register at AuthorNation.live.

In the interview, Mark and Donn talk about:

The difference between goals and missions
How Donn has always been a writer of some sort and how that will always be the thing that stays even when he cuts other things back
Writer's Block versus when the well runs dry
Understanding how not being true to yourself can be something that leads to depression
Thinking of yourself not as a speaker or a writer, but an expert in a particular field and which you can share those things through speaking and writing
The recent passing away of Donn's severely disabled daughter Hanna and the 24-hour required care she had needed
Donn's preferred 2 to 3 hours of uninterrupted time for writing . . . and how being unable to do that suggested to him that he could NOT write. And how that all changed when he found ways to get writing done in much smaller chunks, like 5 minute slots
How there are currently roughly 50 million unpaid caregivers in the US today and yet how they can feel so alone
Re-examining what it means to creative even for those who are writers or artists
Being able to serve your person by taking care of yourself
How when you are a caregiver you are in constant crisis without any indication that it will ever end
How Donn has been grieving as a parent for over numerous decades
Donn's book of devotionals for caregivers who don't need another inspirational slogan, ANCHORED FOR THE STORM
The question of "why do bad things happen to good people" and how it relates to the concept of a dog watching a human rushing about in their daily life without being able to comprehend what the human is doing and why the human is doing it
The generic and stereotypical things people can say when addressing someone else's loss
The value of not feeling alone and how that can help people drawing strength from one another
The Andy Weir novel PROJECT HAIL MARY and the recent movie adaptation
The Warren Buffett story about the idea of giving up things you really want to do in order to achieve the most important things that you want to do
Being aware of how Donn lost his "best-earning years"
Mark's recent "Publishing Wide But Shallow" talk
Donn knowing how to do a proper book launch, but not having the capability of getting those things done
Advice Donn would offer to others who are in a care-giving situation
What to say when you're not sure what to say
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the value in connecting (even when that interview either wasn't recorded or wasn't "used" for anything other than a personal connection with someone else, on the incredible power writers have to ensure someone else out there doesn't feel alone, and the importance of being honest when you're not sure what to say to someone in a delicate situation.

Links of Interest:

Donn King's Website
- Anchored for the Storm
- Creating While Caring
King's Chronicles (Substack)
Pint and Portal Podcast: Find Success Beyond Amazon (YouTube)
Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%)
Buy Mark a Coffee
Patreon for Stark Reflections
Mark's YouTube channel
ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link)
Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
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
The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises

Donn King is an author and speaker who has spent years helping writers and speakers connect with audiences in authentic ways. Donn's books and podcast, The Alignment Show, explore how to live in courageous alignment with your values. He blends a warm, slightly playful style while still grounding his work in credibility. His goal is to prove that words, when used with honesty, heart, and craft, can shift lives.

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

8 May 2026, 5:14 pm

1 hour 3 minutes

EP 472 - Going All In On Substack with Orna Ross

Mark interviews Orna Ross, an award-winning novelist, poet, creative catalyst, and founder of the Alliance of Independent Authors about her recent move towards focusing all her social media energy on Substack.

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

This episode is sponsored by Author Nation, being held in Las Vegas Nov 13 through 14, 2026

Learn more about Author Nation and register at AuthorNation.live.

In the interview, Mark and Orna talk about:

That one time in London at a Kobo device launch event when Mark and Orna were hanging out together
Orna's background as a writer, a poet, and a freelance journalist
Her experience in both self-publishing and traditional publishing
The origin of wanting to create something to help support authors who were self-publishing, and the 2012 launch of ALLI (Alliance of Independent Authors) at London Book Fair
The connection one of Orna's multi-book writing projects has to do with Irish poet W.B. Yeats
Orna's experience with deciding to go "all in" with Substack
One of the best things about Substack, which is how "everything" can be there (blog, socials, "patrons," serialization of a novel, poetry, self-development for creativists)
How on Substack you can segment what goes out to different people
Orna's recommendation for authors considering not doing it the way she did it, but instead picking a single lane and staying in it
The main mistake Orna sees a lot of authors making on Substack
How Substack is completely different than everyplace else on social media
The difference between notes and posts on Substack
The visibility of analytics of what's working, who is interacting with what, etc
Advice Orna would give to writers related to "meaning and purpose" as well as understanding our value
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of simplicity in execution, creating things that are "unmistakeable human" and how Orna describes herself as a "Creative Catalyst."

Links of Interest:

Orna Ross is an award-winning novelist, poet, creative catalyst, and founder of the Alliance of Independent Authors

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

30 April 2026, 11:27 pm

1 hour 1 minute

EP 471 - Fear in Storytelling with Becca Puglisi

Mark interviews Becca Puglisi about the new book THE FEAR THESAURUS which she co-authored with Angelea Ackerman.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by the Show, Don't Tell Writing Podcast with Suzy Vadori. In this weekly show, Suzy brings you writing techniques, best practices, motivation, inspirational stories from real live authors out there making it in the world, and actionable advice that can help you turn that book you're writing into the bestseller you know deep down that it can be.

In their interview, Mark and Becca talk about:

The Descriptive Thesaurus series and how The Fear Thesaurus is book 11 in this series
How Becca and Angela are trying something new this year with their latest release - selling it direct before making it available on all the various retail channels
The fear that came in the process of putting this book together
How there's not a lot out there about character fears
The human needs that become impacted because of past trauma, and what a person fears and tries to avoid
The way so many of these experiences connect directly to a character's fear and ultimately their character development in your writing
Looking at healthy/normal responses versus trauma inspired or unhealth/abnormal responses
How fears can cross over from something normal and unremarkable to another thing that becomes an overblown reaction
The way this book is a great accompanying text to the Emotional Would Thesaurus
Looking at how fear plays into story
A bit of a background behind the series and the first book: The Emotion Thesaurus
The common element of "show, don't tell" that runs through all of their books
The authors' hope is that the entries in the book gives them ideas that they can take, modify and apply to the specifics of their characters
How their previous book The Emotion Amplifier ties in beautifully to this book
A character's greatest fear versus an everyday fear
The way that fear is a great way to mobilize the reader's connection to the story
The breakdown of fears and the way the book is laid out
Selling this book directly on their Shopify store on April 15, 2026 before launching it to all the other retailers a month later
The Fear Hub available at their website when they order the book off their direct store
The overall website of Writers Helping Writers and the great 20+ years of resources that reside there, including free resources and downloads and handouts
Combining one's gifts with the things one is passionate about
The origin story of how Becca and Angela first met and decided to collaborate on The Emotion Thesaurus
Advice Becca would share with beginning writers based on her more than twenty years as a writer and almost twenty years of helping other writers

After the interview Mark reflects on several different things related to his conversation with Becca.

Links of Interest:

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and best-selling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and other resources for writers. Her books have sold over 1.4 million copies and are available in multiple languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online resource for authors that's home to the Character Builder and Storyteller's Roadmap tools.

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

24 April 2026, 2:45 pm

39 minutes 38 seconds

EP 470 - Building Your Author Brand with Isabelle Knight

Mark interviews former publicist to the stars Isabelle Knight who is the founder of Build Your Author Brand, an online consultancy helping fiction and non-fiction authors to grow your readership, raise your profile and give your books the best chance of success.

Prior to the interview Mark shares that he is on the road at the Writers and Illustrators of the Future annual workshops and gala as one of the writer judges and is using his digital voice clone from ElevenLabs to record the introduction and closing reflection. He also shares a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report.

During the interview Mark and Isabelle talk about:

Isabelle's background as a publicist for film, TV, and books
Recognizing how there's a real knack of knowledge for creating an effective brand/profile
Teaching authors the basics of that branding without using the terms PR or publicity
The idea of creating foundations of how an author can be able to pitch their books to an audience
How talking about marketing can quickly fill authors with a sense of terror
The importance of wanting to know, before helping an author, what makes them tick
How the author's story is what tells us who they author is and ultimately "why do we care?" about your book(s)
Finding the themes that can tie books together rather than what makes them different when an author has written more than one book
The challenge of wanting, too much, to share the details from a book, the plot, the tropes, etc versus sharing higher level themes and patterns
The misconception that PR and Publicity is only for celebrities or people who are comfortable being in the spotlight
A misperception that authors have about how to provide content for social media
How Isabelle doesn't work like a traditional publicist
The course that Isabelle runs with a cohort about three times a year
And more...

After the interview Mark shares a few reflections about the conversation.

Links of Interest:

Former publicist to the stars, including titans of industry JK Rowling and the BBC, Isabelle Knight is the founder of Build Your Author Brand, an online consultancy helping fiction and non-fiction authors to grow your readership, raise your profile and give your books the best chance of success.

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

16 April 2026, 11:17 pm

1 hour 5 minutes

EP 469 - Small-Town Canadian Superheroes with Matthew del Papa and Andy Taylor

Mark interviews Matthew del Papa and Andy Taylor, editors of SUPERCANUCKS: An Anthology of Small Town Canadian Superheroes.

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

This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report.

During the interview Mark, Matthew, and Andy talk about:

Andy and Mat's writing background and how they got into editing an anthology like Super Canucks
How editing is a new experience for Andy
The consist "what if?" that has been a part of Andy's writing for most of his life
Matthew's background and the various genres he has written
What the appeal of writing fantasy and non-science-filled fiction is for Mat
The origin story of the Supercanucks anthology and how it relates to the "brain drain" to larger cities
How far the call-out for stories for this anthology went
The submissions and the whittling-down process
Having six stories set in Northern Ontario, but needing to ensure the stories were from across the country
The locales across Canada that made the cut for this anthology
The process of reading and selecting and editing the stories
Deciding who was going to edit which story and work with which authors
The uniqueness for some of the contributors with being able to use Canadian pop culture references and spelling
The sudden need for an aspect of the "Elbows Up!" motif into the anthology
Mat's learnings when it came to working with a traditional publisher rather than the previous self-publishing experience he'd had before
Some of the things they experienced editing this anthology that they hadn't expected
Advice Matthew and Andy would offer to writers who are interested in submitting to an anthology

After the interview Mark shares a few reflections about the value of understanding the process that editors use when selecting stories for an anthology, an admission of a goof-up he made in a recent submission, and his own experience with "brain drain" and "Elbows Up!"

Links of Interest:

Matthew D. Del Papa spent every Tuesday of his youth crisscrossing his hometown of Capreol in search of newly arrived comic books. He wore superhero-themed Underoos to a truly worrying age and still has his Batman (and Robin) lunchbox, backpack, and wrist-watch.

A graduate of Laurentian University, Matthew is a writer, editor, and self-publisher, and has released ten titles to some modest local acclaim.

He joined the Sudbury Writers' Guild in 2009 and his writing has appeared in Spooky Sudbury, Nothing Without Us Too, Mighty, and Sudbury Superstack: A Changing Skyline. His collection of humorous essays titled Jerry Lewis Told Me I Was Going to Die, was released in 2023 through Latitude 46 Publishing.

Andy W. Taylor has been a reader and writer of speculative fiction from an early age thanks in no small part to his mother's frequent trips to the public library with her kids.

Andy is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada, past president and member of the Sudbury Writers' Guild, a graduate of the Viable Paradise writing workshop and Playwright's Junction workshop, and a member of CODEX. Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Andy currently resides in Sudbury, Ontario with his family. His fiction has appeared in Nature: Futures, Polar Borealis, On Spec, FictionVale and on the streets of Sudbury. Visit him at www.SooGuy.com or on BlueSky at @sooguy68.bsky.social

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

9 April 2026, 11:00 pm

1 hour 7 minutes

EP 468 - Identity and Not Being Who You Thought You Were with Marie Lynne Desrochers

Mark interviews Marie Lynne Desrochers about her new memoir SHAKEN AWAKE: A Memoir on Identity and Connection.

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

This episode is sponsored by Toronto Indie Author Conference, taking place in Toronto, ON in April 2026.

In the interview, Mark and Marie Lynne talk about:

Marie's background in the corporate world marketing and how that ties in to storytelling
The startling event of receiving a message via Facebook from a man who introduced himself as Marie's father and how that lead to this memoir
The moment when you start wondering who you thought you've been your whole life
Marie's book SHAKEN AWAKE: A MEMOIR ON IDENTITY AND CONNECTION which is being released in English first in March 2026, and then will be released in French in June (both written by Marie who is bilingual)
How the table of contents for the book seemed to emerge dynamically near the beginning of the project
The exploration of identity and the various different identities that each individual wears
The value of sitting in different seats during the experience of writing a memoir like this
How the cover and the title for this book came to be
The way when you first become aware of something you see it everywhere
The ritual and importance of the kintsugi bowl from Japanese culture
The fear that still sits with Marie in the process of releasing this story to the world
When editors have conflicting views/perspectives on a book and how that can mean it's going to be a really good book - and the importance that not everyone is going to like it, or even believe it
Supernatural guidance that Marie received that helped answer the question of why she was writing this book
Deciding not to try to go to a publisher, but going to Author Nation instead to connect with people and learn how to get the book out there herself
The triple crown of being a successful author that includes needing to have mentors, to know what you're doing, and to have an accountability buddy
Advice Marie would offer to a writer beginning on their journey
The confidence about trusting emergence
Doing a book launch at a local gallery and the power of that collaboration
The distinctly different title for the French version of the book
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on a number of things that came up during the interview.

Links of Interest:

Marie Lynne Desrochers is a Montreal-based author, speaker, director and former banking executive whose 30-year career spanned marketing, entrepreneurship, and advising global leaders. She now explores truth, identity, and connection through narrative nonfiction. Her memoir, Shaken Awake: A Memoir on Identity and Connection (March 19, 2026), weaves a powerful family discovery with a deeper reflection on how unexpected truths reshape who we are—and how we love.

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

2 April 2026, 11:00 pm

1 hour 41 seconds

EP 467 - Strategies for ADHD Writers with Nicole Bross

In this episode Mark interviews author, editor, and certified book coach Nicole Bross about her co-authored book A NOVEL APPROACH: STRATEGIES FOR ADHD WRITERS.

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

This episode is sponsored by Toronto Indie Author Conference, taking place in Toronto, ON in April 2026.

In the interview, Mark and Nicole talk about:

Nicole's background always being interested in writing, along with a love of mysteries such as Nancy Drew and others
Taking journalism in high school and also at Mount Royal
Her first novel being published in 2019 and how it was near the same time she was first diagnosed with ADHD
Published a few articles that lead to her co-author reaching out and suggesting the idea of collaborating on that book
The collaboration being done mostly online (Nicole in Alberta, and Kirsten in Vienna) and how they divided the work up while writing into the same Google Doc simultaneously
The "every Friday" accountability connections they did along the way
The three year period between coming up with the idea to the book being released (in the fall of 2025)
The most important message of the book to writers
How the combination of being a bright kid with undiagnosed ADHD meant it mostly went un-noticed
The book A NOVEL APPROACH: STRATEGIES FOR ADHD WRITERS by Nicole Bross and Kristen Donaghey
The manual typewriter collection that Nicole has (which includes about 20 of them)
Advice Nicole would offer to writers with ADHD
Where an outline can actually prove to be helpful by offering a goal they're reaching toward as well as manageable chunks of achievement
Nicole's novel PAST PRESENCE which is a supernatural mystery novel
The different timelines Nicole has experienced with traditional publishing and self-publishing
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the importance of asking and the commitment to move forward however slowly.

Links of Interest:

Nicole Bross's Website
Nicole's Website for Authors: Manuscript Alchemy
Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%)
Buy Mark a Coffee
Patreon for Stark Reflections
Mark's YouTube channel
ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link)
Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
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
The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises

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

26 March 2026, 11:43 pm

31 minutes 37 seconds

EP 466 - Publishing Wide But Shallow

In this solo episode, Mark shares an article he posted on Substack earlier in March called "Publishing Wide But Shallow."

Prior to the main content (the article), Mark shares a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by Toronto Indie Author Conference, taking place in Toronto, ON in April 2026.

Links of Interest:

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

19 March 2026, 11:12 pm