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EP 434 - Held Over Passion Projects with John Gaspard

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Release Date: 09/18/2025

EP 445 - Overcoming The Self-Sabotage from Buried Trauma with Andrea Torrey Balsara

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

In this episode Mark interviews Andrea Torrey Balsara about her writing, her passion in inspiring joy through storytelling and energy healing, trauma, creativity and much more. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a brief personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. is available now in hardcover, mass market sized paperback, and audiobook. In the interview Mark and Andrea talk about: The very serious and troubling trauma Andrea had been living with for most of her life without realizing it and how it prevented her from trying to focus and work on The sabotage that kept creeping...

EP 444 - Book Marketing Made Easy with Manuscript Report

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews Florin Bulgarov, co-founder of Manuscript Report. 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 an affiliate link to . Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and Florin talk about: Florin's background with a PhD in A.I. and how he ended up evolving into creating the toolset of Manuscript Report How Manuscript Report was initially created as an assessment tool for publishers when going through their...

EP 443 - Strategies for Short Fiction

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

This bonus episode of the Stark Reflections Podcast is a recording of a Nov 10, 2025 live chat that Mark did with Matty Dalrymple and Angelique Fawns talking about strategies for short fiction. The conversation was based on content from Mark and Matty's 2nd Edition release of Taking the Short Tack: and Angelique's Substack. Links of Interest: (YouTube) EP 440 - EP 382 - EP 306 - (Mark's affiliate link) (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and...

EP 442 - Dear Writer You Still Need To Quit with Becca Syme

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews Becca Syme about her latest project, about the journey she has been on since she launched her first Dear Writer, You Need to Quit book, and the various fiction titles she has written. Prior to the interview, Mark explains that he is at Author Nation in Vegas and that his introduction and post interview reflection were generated by ElevenLabs. Then his digital voice clone from ElevenLabs shares a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to . Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In their interview,...

EP 441 - A Bookstore for Indie Authors with Donovan Scherer

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews artist, author, and indie bookstore owner Donovan Scherer about his writing, his art, and his store in downtown Kenosha, Wisconsin. Prior to the interview, Mark welcomes new patrons, shares recent comments, a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to . Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and Donovan talk about: Donovan background as an illustrator creating various characters, and then eventually moving on to writing middle grade chapter books Never...

EP 440 - Behind the Scenes of The Podcast Guest Playbook with Matty Dalrymple

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

In this episode Mark talks with Matty Dalrymple, co-author of the book The Podcast Guest Playbook which was released earlier in 2025. Prior to the interview, Mark shares recent comments, a brief personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to . Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and Matty talk about: Something that Stark Reflections listeners might not know about Matty related to getting her private pilot license Having worked aviation into at least two of her novels...

EP 439 - Rambling Reflections From The Road to Can-Con

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

On his drive to Ottawa, Ontario for the annual Can-Con (Ottawa's Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Literature Convention), Mark reflects on his experience with that conference from it's initial inception in the early 1990s along with its evolution. He also reflects on the importance of CanCon in general (Canadian Content regulations) and how it has played and continues to play an important role for Canadian musicians, artists, performers, and writers. This episode is sponsored by the 2nd Edition of the book which is co-authored by Mark and Matty Dalrymple and was released this week in October 2025 ...

EP 438 - A Personal Conversation with Malorie Cooper

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark has a personal conversation with Malorie Cooper. In this episode they talk about: The reason she and her family moved from Boston, MA and back to Canada The uniqueness of New England compared to the rest of the United States How Canada is one of the hardest countries to emigrate into Not having ever gotten American citizenship The oppression and fear of being a queer transgender person, particularly in the US How it's virtually impossible for people who aren't oppressed to understand what it's like Losing half her fan base and friends when she transitioned into the person she was always...

EP 437 - Nerding Out Over History, Science, and Maps with Malorie Cooper

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews Malorie Cooper, who writes under the name M.D. Cooper, about the various things that fascinate and inspire her writing. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a brief personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to . Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and Malorie talk about: Meeting up in New Brunswick in the spring at a writer's conference Mal's passion about writing science-fiction and nerding out about science and history concepts Mal working with her...

EP 436 - Artisan Publishing with Blue Feathered Quill

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

In this episode Mark interviews Joshua Smyser and Alex Hale of Blue Feathered Quill Publishing. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, welcome a new patron (), offers a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode's sponsor: This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to . Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark, Alex, and Joshua talk about: Alex's background growing up an avid reader and someone who wrote music and stories, and then going back to school for linguistics in...

More Episodes

Mark interviews John Gaspard about his book HELD OVER: HAROLD AND MAUDE AT THE WESTGATE THEATER.

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

This episode's sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report.

In the interview, Mark and John talk about:

John's appreciation for the honesty of the podcast and one of his favorite episodes, and why he liked it
John's background and the two different cozy mystery series that he has written and published
The Eli Mark's "Behind the Page" podcast that John uses to share behind-the-scenes and brilliantly market the books in audio and other formats
A person with a PhD in "shuffling cards" who was a guest on John's podcast
How John approached his deep love and affection for the 1971 movie HAROLD AND MAUDE
The Minneapolis theatre (Westgate) that helped make this movie a cult classic
How John couldn't have written this book 20 years ago
John's Popcorn Principals books
The book HELD OVER: HAROLD AND MAUDE AT THE WESTGATE THEATER
John's philosophy of "I'm writing for me."
A bit of the history of the Westgate Theater
The approach to his writing and recognizing that most of the books are likely not to earn much more than making back the initial money invested into them
Deciding which researched bits made it into the book
How Scrivener was a helpful tool in the writing of the book and various research elements
The design company that John worked with on this book
The Kickstarter that John ran related to this book and what it did for him (beyond earning a bit of up front money to help with funding the expensive project
Working with Bookvault on the production of this book
Advice John would offer to writers who haven't yet pursued that passion project
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on passion projects, networking and connecting with other writers, and the advice to pause/hesitate

Links of Interest:

John Gaspard is author of the Eli Marks mystery series and the Como Lake Players mystery series. He also has several other stand-alone novels, including “The Greyhound of the Baskervilles,” “A Christmas Carl,” “The Sword & Mr. Stone” and “The Ripperologists.”

He hosts: "Behind the Page: The Eli Marks Podcast."

In real life, John's not a magician, but he has directed six low-budget features that cost very little and made even less - that's no small trick. He's also written multiple books on the subject of low-budget filmmaking. Ironically, those books made more than the films.

John lives in Minnesota and shares his home with his lovely wife, several greyhounds, a few cats and a handful of pet allergies.

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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