Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Perspectives and reflections on the writing and publishing life. Mark Leslie Lefebvre, a writer, bookseller, digital publishing advocate, professional speaker, and publishing consultant explores inclusive and collaborative opportunities for writers and book publishing professionals via interviews, discussions, and reflections about the industry. (Mark's personal website is www.markleslie.ca)

EP 435 - The Power of Writers in a Divided World 09/25/2025

EP 434 - Held Over Passion Projects with John Gaspard 09/18/2025

EP 434 - Held Over Passion Projects with John Gaspard 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 . 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: (Mark's affiliate link) 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 and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/38258320

EP 433 - Affordable Multi-Voice Audiobook Narration from Spoken with Phil Marshall 09/12/2025

EP 433 - Affordable Multi-Voice Audiobook Narration from Spoken with Phil Marshall In this episode Mark interviews Phil Marshall, the author of the recently released science fiction novel Taming the Perilous Skies and the founder of Spoken, a platform that removes numerous audiobook production barriers for indie authors and small publishers. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by (affiliate link). Spend less time logging in to multiple platforms and crunching numbers, and more time writing and marketing your books thanks to ScribeCount’s handy all-in-one interface. In the interview, Mark and Phil talk about: Phil's background with Conversa Being trained as a surgeon and then switching to product development and technology The novel (TAMING THE PERILOUS SKIES) that was baking in his head since 2021 Distributing 130 copies of his novel to early readers at a recent WorldCon The market info of "Dan Brown meets Andy Weir" How the novel and Spoken itself were both inspired by the same thing An explanation of what Spoken is and how it addresses Phil's desire for multi-cast narration Multi-voice narration being a speciality of Spoken Why Phil is releasing the novel in multi-cast narration via Spoken for free in chapter by chapter installments Spoken having just completed a full year of beta release and is now available as a fully available product A bit of a walk-thru of how Spoken breaks out different character voices in an automated manner How ElevenLabs and Hume are the two partners Spoken uses for their character and narrator voices The costs involved in producing these audio books How there is no cost for listeners who want to check out how things sound on Spoken Phil's message to authors who are nervous/anxious about A.I. And more... After the interview Mark reflects on a couple of things related to the conversation. Links of Interest: Kobo Writing Life Podcast EP 78 (March 2017) - SPA Girls Podcast Episode 517 (with Mark) (Mark's affiliate link) Phil Marshall Bio: I build technologies, organizations, and stories that imagine a fantastic future. From my theory of persistence, which sits at the heart of my sci-fi writing, to pioneering conversational AI that transformed the relationships between doctors and patients, to creating groundbreaking tools that are transforming the relationship between authors and their readers, I thrive at the intersection of imagination and execution. My current project is Spoken, bringing authors and readers together around great audio stories that are made possible by technology. Before Spoken, I co-founded Conversa, a platform that connected patients and care teams using conversational AI. Along the way, I’ve built technologies that span personalization (WebMD), collaborative movie-making (JumperCut), ontology-driven knowledge graphs (OntoLogic.ai), and concept-based health record threading (WellMed). The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/38199070

EP 432 - Creativity, Connection, and Community with Police Officer and Author A.L. Wahdel 09/05/2025

EP 432 - Creativity, Connection, and Community with Police Officer and Author A.L. Wahdel Mark interviews A.L. Wahdel, a crime thriller writer brings Toronto’s soul to life in his fiction. They talk about his new book TOO DARK FOR THE LIGHT, about his writing, about police work, and about the importance of community, connection, and creativity.\ 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 . Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In the interview, Mark and Lance talk about: Lance's 20 years of experience in the police force and how he had planned on a completely different career path by studying media arts and graphic design How people usually ask police officers if they're seen any crazy stuff, but rarely ask if they've seen amazing things The power of community and connecting and communicating with people "Always be in a constant state of create." A philosophy that drives Lance in his life and writing How any time a person creates something it's a gift to the world and the universe Lance's earliest experience writing lyrics and music Being a huge comic fan, Batman in particular The revelation of "write what you know" in creating his first novel TO DARK FOR THE LIGHT Finding his writing community via numerous podcasts, YouTube, and other online resources Establishing a virtual "mastermind" from the shared writing resources Deciding to set his novel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada instead of choosing a "more popular" major US city Using Toronto's iconic skyline on the cover to ensure the setting for the book was clear Debating over whether or not to begin with Water Kascade's origin story The tricky balance of writing an authentic police procedural novel (ie, ignoring those tedious long boring periods of time in the day to day life of law enforcement) The training of always being alert and aware as a police officer and how that benefits Lance as a writer Some of the things that authors get wrong related to police work The integrity involved in releasing the book under the pseudonym A.L. Wahdel so as not to take advantage of his role and employer Advice Lance would offer to other authors And more . . . After the interview Mark shares a few reflections about the desire to help others and the value of creativity in giving to the world. Links of Interest: A.L. Wahdel on Substack: (Draft2Digital Self-Publishing Insiders) (Mark's affiliate link) EP 430 - A.L. Wahdel is an exciting new storyteller in the crime thriller genre, blending gripping suspense with a powerful narrative. A.L. Wahdel writes with energy about the city that shaped his identity. With an unwavering love for its style and complexity, he brings Toronto’s soul to life in every story. Choosing his birthplace as the canvas for his crime series was an intentional act—to honour its essence, celebrate its dynamism, and share the stories that only a true Torontonian writer could tell The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/38105200

EP 431 - An Interview with Writer, Producer, and Celebrity Publicist William J Bruce III 08/28/2025

EP 431 - An Interview with Writer, Producer, and Celebrity Publicist William J Bruce III Mark interviews writer, producer, and celebrity publicist William J Bruce III. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, comments, 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 the interview, Mark and William talk about: The weird series of events that led William into his current career Meeting a film producer on the day of a school evacuation How a lot of William's work is done online and behind the scenes The importance of doing due diligence as a publicist to make sure the interviewee doesn't get "trapped" by the host/interviewer The memoir that William wrote and why he wrote it because of a really low point in his life Looking at your life and your faith when in a dark place after having made a grave mistake The novel that William is currently working on How people can be heartless when it comes to talking about celebrities The story behind how William is publishing his novel That negative voice whenever you're trying something new And more... After the interview Mark reflects on that feeling of self-doubt as well as the perspective of heroes and villians and good and evil. Links of Interest: (Sunday August 31, 2025) - Reedsy Virtual Event (Mark's affiliate link) EP 430 - William J Bruce III is a writer, producer and celebrity publicist. As a publicist he has worked with Shawn Harper of the NFL and the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase of the WWE during Ted’s peak in Google Trends. As executive producer to the compilation album Bridge Wars, he brought together artists such as F.E.R.N (Capitol Records artist produced by DukeDaGod of The Diplomats), and Mahogany Jones (four-time Champion of BET’s “Freestyle Friday’s”). Later in 2016 William became the executive producer and host of the Aussie Osbourne Show. The show featured in-depth interviews with celebrities such as Mike Mullane (former NASA astronaut), Alveda King (niece of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the daughter of civil rights activist A.D. King), and Charlene Li (Harvard magna cum laude graduate and NY Times bestselling author). His writing has landed him cover stories with former Victoria Secret model Kylie Bisutti, P.O.D front man Sonny Sandoval and the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase of WWE. William's work in film and his ability to hone the craft of writing assisted him in his role of script revisionist for the Eric Roberts film In the Blink of an Eye. The author of the memoir Penholder, William has also written the introduction to the 150th Anniversary Edition of Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Currently William is completing a novel called "Hate"(working title). The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/38000205

EP 430 - Rambling Reflections From A Lemons To Lemonade Road Trip 08/22/2025

EP 429 - A Post-Mortem on Co-Hosting the 2025 Aurora Awards with Liz May Anderson 08/14/2025

EP 429 - A Post-Mortem on Co-Hosting the 2025 Aurora Awards with Liz May Anderson This episode features a campfire chat with Mark's partner Liz Anderson about co-hosting the 2025 Aurora Awards livestream on Sunday August 10, 2025. In the interview, Mark and Liz talk about: The background of co-hosting the Aurora Awards over the years Working on a pandemic parody music video on a whim within about 24 hours as a bit of an escape The trepidation and challenge of working on something that one is not as familiar about The level of commitment and interest within the speculative fiction community How much time and creative energy people have poured themselves into the creative work they do The privilege of being able to highlight these creators and their achievements A history of the themes Mark and Liz have used for their Aurora opening shtick bits over the years The "Last Minute Production" branding that Liz has long adapted Leveraging the mixture of talent/skill in singing when working on a project together (how Mark sings with far more passion than ability How Liz and Mark have been pushing themselves every year The challenge of offering constructive feedback to someone you are close to The importance of just getting it done when you're completing a task with a tight deadline Considering that "first draft" of something that's created in order to get to the next level Getting the thing "out of your head" to keep things moving The different approaches Mark and Liz have when it comes to putting content into the world Liz's experience having never fallen flat on her face when creating content completely at the last minute Advice about stepping into an environment where you're not as familiar with the landscapeould give to writers And more... After the interview Mark reflects on the way Liz described the staff and students at her school. The introduction and concluding reflection were performed by Mark's digital AI voice clone from ElevenLabs. Links of Interest: (Livestreamed on Aug 10, 2025) Previous Years Auroras Opening Shtick Clips ("If I Had $1000000" Parody) (Graduating and Getting Married) (Teaching Liz about Sci-Fi) (Last Minute Host/Co-host) Mark and Liz Parody Videos (Mark's affiliate link) (Sunday Aug 10 at 5 PM Eastern) The Opening Schtick Bits from previous Aurora Awards The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/37826280

EP 428 - The "Author Versus AI" Project with Alison McBain 08/08/2025

EP 428 - The "Author Versus AI" Project with Alison McBain Mark interviews Canadian author Alison McBain about her "Author Versus AI" project, her life in writing, and more. 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 . Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In the interview, Mark and Alison talk about: The various roles that Alison has played in the creative arts Wanting to be a writer since she was young and her first written story created when she was 4 years old Thinking that one day she would be a teacher or a professor, but never actually taking that path Alison's very first published piece of writing The early days of writing that involved mailing manuscripts out and then waiting for a response Alison's first book, The Rose Queen, which is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast The many awards that Alison has won The creative team you have working with you whenever you publish with a traditional publisher The magazine (ScribesMICRO - which features stories and poems of no more than 100 words) that Alison started with a few other editors during the pandemic Being surprised at how popular this magazine was and the new 100-word story award that they recent started The thrill of helping discover and publish newer writers in this magazine Deciding how Alison could, as one human, try to take on AI by writing a book a week for a full year Completing 8 months of the challenge with a total of 34 books The more than 2 dozen books that Alison has ghost-written How Alison writes in numerous genres with a spirit of "why not try it all?" The preparation Alison had to do in order to write those 34 novels so effectively during her challenge Advise Alison would offer to authors who are thinking of doing a similar type of writing challenge Having a writing space that's outside the house Balancing writing with family life What Alison has recently been working on The coaching that Alison offers to other writers and how it can be like being a parent Advice Alison would give to writers And more... After the interview Mark reflects on a few things that came up in their conversation. Links of Interest: (Mark's affiliate link) (Sunday Aug 10 at 5 PM Eastern) The Opening Schtick Bits from previous Aurora Awards Alison McBain’s human-created novels are the recipients of over 13 awards, including the Foreword INDIES. Her latest novella Dual took home 3rd place in the 3-Day Novel Contest. When not writing for herself, she’s a ghostwriter who has penned over two dozen books for clients, as well as an award-winning editor who has worked with both celebrity and NY Times-bestselling authors. In 2024, she pursued a project called “Author Versus AI,” where she wrote a book a week, using NO AI at all (34 books total). When not writing, Ms. McBain is the associate editor for the magazine ScribesMICRO and draws all over the walls of her house with the enthusiastic help of her kids. She lives in Alberta, Canada. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/37729640

EP 427 - A Tale of Two Mountains: An Uphill Climb, Rain, Exhaustion, And Rainbows 07/31/2025

EP 426 - Getting YOUR Book Into Bookstores and Libraries 07/25/2025

EP 425 - Escaping the Self-Publishing Rapid Release Rat Race with Johnny B. Truant 07/18/2025

EP 425 - Escaping the Self-Publishing Rapid Release Rat Race with Johnny B. Truant In this episode Mark speaks to author Johnny B. Truant about THE ARTISAN AUTHOR. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, 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 the interview, Mark and Johnny talk about: Johnny's return to this podcast (with neither of them being able to remember how many episodes he'd been on previously). Technically, this is his fourth time. Two previous episodes were interviews, and the other was Johnny's brief guest reflection spot in Episode 300 Why Johnny's new book THE ARTISAN AUTHOR is a much-anticipated and needed book in the industry A definition of what it means to be an artisan author, which is kind of the opposite of being a "rapid release, Kindle-only eBook" author The importance of taking away that stress-cycle of having to pump out so many books as a single prescription "how to do it" answer Remembering an important thing that, just like there is no single "the way" neither is being an artisan author The paradigm shift and mindset change that is required as a fundamental starting point How readers outside of the eBook/Kindle-only marketplace aren't as focused on lower price points and are okay with higher prices The reality of the publishing landscape in terms of the books being sold and money being earned The misinterpretation of the book Johnny and Sean Platt released years ago called WRITE, PUBLISH, REPEAT How there are two kinds of writers. The type who approach the business as trying to solve a puzzle and the type who approach it as a way of telling a story that they really want to share How a call of "go slow and make art" is not nearly as sexy as a "solution" The experience of driving off to meet a couple of long-term fans to sign and sell directly to them Connections and humanity being a key element of the artisan author experience The value of authentic connection, regardless of whether or not it's in person or online That powerful experience Johnny had doing one of his first major live book signing events as an author at Author Nation in Vegas and how that led to doing a lot more in person events The ability to adapt to a customer based on their reactions in person Look at it as connections, and then if sales happen . . . great! Being really generous with your time and attention Some of the logistics of doing an in person book signing A couple of unexpected and amusing anecdotes from selling books in person The Kickstarter that Johnny is doing for this book, which runs July 15 through Aug 14 (johnnybtruant.com/artisan) The additional "continuum of education" that Johnny is including in this Kickstarter (Artisan University) The importance of authors entering into things with conscious decisions rather than just blindly following the generic advice they've found And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on a few specific points from the discussion. Links of Interest: EP 424 - EP 322 - EP 302 - EP 300 - (Mark's affiliate link) Johnny B. Truant is one of indie publishing’s early authorities, having created and co-hosted the original Self Publishing Podcast with Sean Platt and David Wright. He is also the author of the indie cornerstone guide Write. Publish. Repeat, and hosted the Smarter Artist Summit author conference in Austin, Texas from 2015-2018 with the same two partners. On the fiction side, Johnny is the bestselling author of Fat Vampire, adapted by The SyFy Network as Reginald the Vampire. His other books include Pretty Killer, Gore Point, Invasion, The Beam, Dead City, Unicorn Western, and over 100 other titles across many genres. Originally from Ohio, Johnny and his family now live in Austin, Texas where he's finally surrounded by creative types as weird as he is. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/37451795

EP 424 - Passion From Between and Beyond The Pages with Jessica Rampersad 07/10/2025

EP 424 - Passion From Between and Beyond The Pages with Jessica Rampersad Mark interviews Jessica Rampersad AKA JessBeyondThePages, an expert experienced in social media management, content creation, and editing who helps authors and brands elevate their online presence. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, 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 the interview, Mark and Jessica talk about: Jessica being a reader her entire life and how she has fallen in and out of love with it because of the workload from school Doing research based on a fictional character in a Lauren Asher novel and then deciding upon that as a career path Some of the misconceptions that authors have when it comes to social media How the various social media platforms prefer specific types of content Ideas on things that really resonate with readers that authors can share on social media The services that Jess offers to authors and her willingness to be flexible and learn/try new things that authors are interested in doing The types of books that Jessica typically reads and works on (mystery, romance, thriller) as well as the master list she sends out to other readers The challenge of Mark's various brands along with the fact "MarkLeslie" was already taken on a lot of social media when he arrived How Trope Maps are often the way Jess starts working with an author on their branding for their books The importance of a positive and collaborative partnership between an author and their PAs How valuable giving recognition or giving thanks is, and the positive impression that can make And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on the value of sharing your passion instead of focusing on sales. Links of Interest: (Mark's affiliate link) Jessica Rampersad's bio. Hi, I'm Jessica! Experienced in social media management, content creation, and editing, I help authors and brands elevate their online presence. I specialize in building engaging digital communities, coordinating book launches, and crafting compelling content strategies. Passionate about storytelling, I work with authors at every stage (independent, traditional, debut, or seasoned) to amplify their voices and help them connect with audiences across platforms. You can find me on TikTok and Instagram at @jessbeyondthepages, and on YouTube at youtube.com/smileyrue. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/37369145

EP 423 - Dear Writer: The World Needs Your Writing Now More Than Ever 07/03/2025

EP 422 - Writing, Humor, and Teaching with Patrick MacPhee 06/27/2025

EP 422 - Writing, Humor, and Teaching with Patrick MacPhee Mark interviews Patrick MacPhee, teacher and Writers of the Future award-winning author about his love of reading, writing, and helping to inspire students. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, 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 the interview, Mark and Patrick talk about: Patrick's experience reading Fellowship of the Rings when he was rather young and how it impacted him in a profound way The impact on the mind and imagination when reading something really slowly How when you're a kid you play in a specific way when experiencing new things Seeing speculative fiction as having that additional special spice that enhances a regular dish The five-book epic fantasy series that Patrick mapped out years ago (and which he recently finished writing book one of) Being influenced and inspired by Neal Stephenson's writing Patrick's Writers of the Future Award-winning story "Thirty Minutes or it's a Paradox" How the inspiration for this short story came from something Patrick was intimately aware of as a teacher Some of the previous stories that Patrick has had published in semi-pro magazines How Patrick learned about Writers of the Future and some of his submission history with the contest Getting the call from Joni about Patrick's finalist position in the contest Patrick's thoughts about the experience being in Hollywood and seeing the rendition of his story illustrated by Cam Collins How Patrick got into teaching and an important thing that he learned in that vocation - What Patrick is going to be doing next Advice for other writers And more... After the interview Mark reflects on a few of the things he discussed with Patrick. Links of Interest: (Mark's affiliate link) In addition to being a writer, Patrick MacPhee considers himself very luck to spend the past twenty years helping young people become better versions of themselves in his role as a teacher. He has learned that almost every part of the curriculum has room for a little humor — sometimes a lot of humor. We talk about that as well as his writing, and what inspired him to write the Writers of the Future Award-Winning story “Thirty Minutes or It’s a Paradox.” The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/37171410

EP 421 - Some Publishing Pitfalls 06/19/2025

EP 420 - Artist and Author Collaboration with JJ McFaull 06/12/2025

EP 420 - Artist and Author Collaboration with JJ McFaull In this episode Mark interviews Jacob from the JJ McFaull is collaboration children's book Where Pumpkins Go After Halloween. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by the new book The Podcast Guest Playbook co-authored by Mark and Matty Dalrymple. Check out the book here: In the interview, Mark and Jacob talk about: Mark and Jacob talk about: How even as a kid, Jacob was making up stories Getting involved in the book industry in 2024 after initially trying to get his children's book published The organization CANSCAPE (Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers) which is a great resource for creators The title for his book which incites the right questions in people Seeing pumpkins left on the curb after Halloween, which is what inspired the story Collaborating with his father James and working as an author/illustrator duo under the name JJ McFaull (JJ being short for Jacob and James) How Jacob's father has been an illustrator his entire life The origin of how the book got conceived and published An important design element Jacob would recommend for children's book authors to consider Some of the challenges with the quality of POD children's books ordered from Amazon Selling books at in person fairs and other locales How having the book tied in to a specific holiday (Halloween) can be really beneficial How farmers markets were a great place for Jacob to set up for selling his books in person The way that having a pre-illustrated book on submission to a publisher can actually work against an author A little bit about the YA book that Jacob is working on right now The Christmas themed picture book that JJ McFaull will be releasing in the fall of 2025 Advice Jacob would offer to other writers And more... After the interview Mark reflects on the unique father-and-son collaboration as well as on the importance of recognizing where additional talent needs to be brought in on a project. Links of Interest: The Indy Author Podcast - (Mark's affiliate link) JJ McFaull is the author/illustrator of Where Pumpkins Go After Halloween, a debut picture book released in September 2024. Under the pen name JJ McFaull, Jacob (the author) and James (his father and illustrator) combine their passions for storytelling and art to create memorable books for young readers. The second book in their holiday series is scheduled to release this fall. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/36977620

EP 419 - Seeing The Beauty with Artist, Photographer, Graphic Designer, and Music Aficionado Stephan Gaydos 06/06/2025

EP 418 - Giving Away A Million Copies of Your Book With DC Gomez 05/30/2025

EP 418 - Giving Away A Million Copies of Your Book With DC Gomez In this episode Mark interviews D.C. Gomez about her plan to give away a million copies of her best-selling and award-winning novel Death's Intern. Prior to the interview, Mark 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 the interview, Mark and D.C. talk about: DC being one of those kids who was into storytelling since as far back as she can remember Having a passion and background for video and screenplays The way everything changed for DC back during 9/11 DC's spiritual director who suggested that DC write a book and how it was finally the spark that she needed "Causing trouble" for 30 years Her first novel being Death's Intern Adapting elements that she learned in screenwriting into crafting a novel Writing within a large universe that's interconnected The origin of the story "Cursed by Fur: A Little Red Riding Hood Retelling" How it's different to connect with characters at different stages in their lives The reasoning behind giving away a million copies of Death's Intern with no strings attached Constantine the talking cat character who has taken over DC's Instagram as well as her end of month newsletter Why DC defines herself as a "serial hobbyist" The blast that DC has doing in person events Advice that DC would give to writers And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on a few things about their conversation. Links of Interest: (Author Website) (Universal Book Link) (co-authored with Matty Dalrymple) (Mark's affiliate link) D. C. Gomez is a fast-talking, extra-quirky Dominican with a dark sense of humor. A long time ago, she used to enjoy long walks at the park and long days under the sun. Unfortunately, due to a mysterious condition, she is now allergic to those pesky UV rays. Rumor has it that her true nature is coming out and her vampirism is now showing. But don’t fear my friend, she doesn’t bite (much…). The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/36769240

EP 417 - Embracing Your Passion for Creativity with Artist and Author C L Fors 05/23/2025

EP 417 - Embracing Your Passion for Creativity with Artist and Author C L Fors In this episode Mark interviews author and artist C L Fors about her recent award win with Writers of the Future and her life in writing and illustration. 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 MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In the interview, Mark and Cherrie talk about: Cherrie's recent win as an illustrator for Writers and Illustrators of the Future for Volume 41 of the annual anthology Entering the contest as both a writer and an illustrator every quarter since 2016 How Cherrie can be creative in both writing and illustrating based on the same spark of inspiration. Sometimes it comes out first as a story and then later as an illustration, sometimes vice versa The process of how illustrator winners of Writers and Illustrators of the Future are "teamed up" with a writer winner Cherrie's four-book epic science fiction series - which is a story about people re-claiming self-determination The graphic novel Cherrie is working on which, at first, she wasn't sure what medium it was going to emerge into How a lot of the skills that Cherrie initially learned about art was self-taught, before she received more formal instruction Learning the right time to make that creative jump as a creator How when she is in the midst of the process of creating, regardless of whether it is writing or art, Cherrie feels most alive Taking a step back to understand if she's taking realistic stock of her time and energy The challenge of getting sucked in to social media Ensuring that you're not being too hard on yourself How Cherrie cannot remember a time when she was not doing both art and writing Publishing her first work (a magazine that had her stories, poetry and art) and selling copies of it door-to-door when she was 9 years old in order to earn money to make a purchase Getting her Masters in Publishing at Western Colorado University and continuing the program in Genre fiction to get her MFA Seeing and representing herself as BOTH a writer and an illustrator Using C L Fors for both her art and her writing Learning that she has to "go with the flow" and use the time she has to approach her various tasks as an author, an illustrator, a wife, and a mother Advice that Cherrie would give her younger self How rejection is just a lesson What is next for Cherrie And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on a few things that were discussed including Cherrie's advice on continuing to do something once you find the thing that you love. Links of Interest: (co-authored with Matty Dalrymple) (Mark's affiliate link) CL Fors lives and breathes stories in multiple mediums: the written word, illustration in watercolor, acrylic, digital, and ink, and the creation of custom jewelry and other artifacts of story. She is an artist with a myriad of interests and experiences that inform and flavor her writing and illustrating. A multipotentialite, mother, author, and adventurer, CL is a science and science-fiction enthusiast with a passion for research based sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction in general. She has at various times in her life been a film actor, military intelligence linguist in the Arabic language, a doula, childbirth educator, and student midwife for birthing, as well as a bellydancer. Cherrie and her husband, Jason P. Crawford, founded the indie publishing house Epitome Press and together bring the work of talented authors out of the brambles and into the light of day. CL’s debut novel, Progeny is the first installment of the Primogenitor series.The second installment, Breach of Mars is available on Amazon as are the third and fourth books in the series, Crowning of Mars and Futures of Mars. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/36688840

EP 416 - The Irony of a Woefully Inadequate Imposter Syndrome 05/16/2025

EP 415 - April Showers Bring May Reflections 05/09/2025

EP 414 - Thanks for the Inspiration Nancy Kilpatrick 05/06/2025

EP 413 - Coming Home to Your Found Family with Aaron Fors 05/02/2025

EP 413 - Coming Home to Your Found Family with Aaron Fors In this interview Mark interviews author, actor, and narrator Aaron Fors about numerous aspects of his creative life. 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 MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. During their interview Mark and Aaron talk about: Recently hanging out at Superstars Writing Seminars Aaron's creative life as an author, an actor, and a voice talent/narrator How Aaron started acting when he was eight years old, and his supportive father who took a "sure, let's do this" approach when Aaron's older siblings talked about wanting to get into acting Aaron's first scene doing a dark-themed dramatic monologue and how he fell in love with acting The list Aaron created at the age of 5 which included being a famous actor, a rock star, President of the United States, and a basketball star Being a voracious reader from an early age, with his favorite authors being Stephen King, William Shakespeare and Isaac Asimov Latching on to "found family" style stories from science-fiction disguised as "bad ass robot movies" Wanting to be a part of sharing stories that help remind people who feel alone or outcast that there's a place for them Being a guest star on a lot of cop, doctor, and lawyer shows on TV and having to have read hundreds of scripts - and how that has played a role in studying story Getting into writing books because of his sister C L Fors and her husband Jason Crawford suggesting it How writing stories and novels felt a lot like "coming home" The natural symbiotic relationship between performers of story and creators of story Some of the fundamental storytelling aspects that translate well from screenplays to narrative fiction, such as the "camera's focus" on the relevant details in a scene How having a healthy relationship with rejection as an actor has been helpful to Aaron in his role as a writer Having 17 auditions in person in a single day driving from 6 AM until midnight to get to the various offices and studios The concept of when you are doing an audition you're actually performing in front of an audience that's right there in the room (even if that audience is one or two or just a few people) - and that you're actually getting to do your job - you got to entertain Aaron's story "Best Foot Forward" which appeared in the anthology Weird Wilderness edited by Lisa Mangum The first two full length novel manuscripts that Aaron has written Aaron's work doing voice-over performances in various different categories How the industry for doing voice-over and narrator roles changed during the pandemic which allowed for a lot more work-from-home-studio opportunities The way that the narrator themselves add a layer of artistry to the manuscript they are reading The fact that Aaron is a dialectologist who studied in Masterclasses with Robert Easton And more . . . After the interview Mark makes an offer to his patrons for getting a chance to work with Aaron and also reflects on three different things that Aaron mentioned. Links of Interest: EP 411 - Draft2Digital Self Publishing Insiders (May 1, 2025) - (YouTube) (Mark's affiliate link) Aaron Fors is a passionate actor, dialectologist, writer, and all around performer. He is a weaver of stories, with threads of magic, science, wonder, and love. He is a collector of information, skills, and wisdom. He also crafts with his hands, leather-working and woodworking. His two cats and wife (honorary third cat) love him very much, and are spoiled by his cooking. He does all the things. Want a thing done? He can probably do it. You can find Aaron online at The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/36413525

EP 412 - Books, Bookstores, and Community 04/25/2025

EP 411 - Small Acts of Kindness in Every Little Thing With Janice Landry 04/18/2025

EP 411 - Small Acts of Kindness in Every Little Thing With Janice Landry Mark has a conversation with award winning writer and veteran journalist Janice Landryabout her seventh book, Every Little Thing: How Small Acts of Kindness Make a Big Impact, her 2023 diagnosis of Lyme disease which was part of the inspiration for this book, Janice's life as a writer, how having lived adjacent to the ocean in Canada's East Coast has impacted her creative spirit, and so much more. Prior to the interview Mark shares a personal update, comments from recent episodes and reads a word about two Canadian conferences taking place at the end of April 2026: and . (You can use code gritLITfriends at checkout to save 25% off the cost of registration). Mark and Janice talk about: Being of the generation that spent their entire summer days outside and not-connected to anything except friends and the world around them The old school-style desk Janice had when she was young and starting to write which was shoved up against a window that looked out on the ocean Telling herself fictional stories to amuse herself when she was young The ocean being one of the single biggest factors on Janice's creative life The importance of Janice's 2022 book EYE OF THE OCEAN Why it's priceless that we create and share Canadian stories How so much of what we do is about all of the people who help us in our achievements and why it's one of the core messages in Janice's latest book The dramatically debilitating side-effects of Lyme disease Why small acts of kindness and sharing uplifting and positive stories is so important The tiny thing (a tick) that ended up inspiring Janice to write the book EVERY LITTLE THING Importance messages of hope and that you're not alone, which come from the book A very special note that a teacher gave to Janice when she was 10 years old, and why she carried it around for fifty years Advice Janice would offer to beginning writers And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on three different things that came up in the discussion. Links of Interest: Draft2Digital Janice Landry has won four national awards for her writing and work. In March 2025, Halifax West MP Lena Metlege Diab presented Janice with the King Charles III Coronation Medal from the Government of Canada for her body of work, books, and longtime mental health advocacy. Janice is a veteran journalist and proud Haligonian. In May 2025, she released her seventh book, Every Little Thing – how small acts of kindness make a big impact, following her 2023 Lyme disease diagnosis. Janice has since fully recovered and wrote this “small book with big messages” to thank society’s many and varied helpers, including some of her own. Janice’s longtime publisher is Nova Scotia’s Pottersfield Press. Her last two books, Eye of the Ocean and Silver Linings, were both bestsellers. Janice’s biggest inspiration is her family, husband, Rob, and daughter, Laura. Through her writing, she also honours her late parents, Baz and Theresa. Janice began writing longform non-fiction to tell the gripping story of her firefighter father’s national Medal of Bravery for his part in the near-death rescue of an infant from a harrowing 1978 Halifax house fire. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/36220015

EP 410 - Writer Reflections at Lucifers Pizza with Robert J. Sawyer and Kevin J. Anderson 04/10/2025

EP 409 - Show, Don't Tell With Suzy Vadori 04/04/2025

EP 409 - Show, Don't Tell With Suzy Vadori Mark interviews Suzy Vadori, Calgary Bestselling author of The Fountain Series, the founder of the Inspired Writing Community, a Resident Writing Coach for Writers Helping Writers, and the host of the Show, Don't Tell Writing Podcast. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a brief personal update and a word from this episode’s sponsor. This episode is sponsored by the 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. During their interview, Mark and Suzy talk about: The last time Suzy was on the podcast in an episode talking about doing a book launch in collaboration with her local bookstore A little bit about who Suzy is and what she is passionate about Suzy's background that includes having a Commerce Bachelors Degree and being a Chief Operating Officer for a startup Suzy's main superpower, which is to take enormous amounts of information, feed them into her brain, and then to determine a path forward Applying skills that come from outside writing into the writing world The Suzy Vadori umbrella and how that came about The areas that Suzy is most passionate about helping writers with: the actual writing The myth that writing talent is all your need to be successful The free newsletter Suzy sends out to writers and some of the content that's contained within it Some of the tools Suzy uses to evaluate a writer's manuscript Suzy's "Show Don't Tell" Podcast The book that Suzy is currently working on which aligns with the branding for her podcast Advice that Suzy would offer to beginning writers And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on something Suzy said about bringing in skills and experience from outside the writing world. Links of Interest: Suzy Vadori is Calgary Bestselling Author of The Fountain Series (The Fountain, The West Woods, Wall of Wishes). This fantastical series has received three Aurora Nominations for Best Young Adult Novel. She is represented by Naomi Davis of Bookends Literary Agency. Suzy is the founder of the Inspired Writing Community, a Resident Writing Coach for Writers Helping Writers, a touring member of the Young Alberta Book Society (YABS) and a Program Manager for When Words Collide (WWC), a festival for readers and writers. Suzy specializes in breaking down complex writing concepts for newer writers into manageable steps, to get the book idea exploding in their minds onto the page in a way that will make readers take notice. She works with both fiction and nonfiction writers, in Memoir, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Romance, Middle Grade, and of course, Young Adult. Suzy is an Advanced Certified Book Coach from Jennie Nash’s Author Accelerator. Suzy speaks to youth and adult audiences across Western Canada about how writing can unlock doors and help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/36006655

EP 408 - Definitely A Chat With Definitely The Real Alex Lifeson (AKA Tony Binns) 03/27/2025

EP 408 - Definitely A Chat With Definitely The Real Alex Lifeson (AKA Tony Binns) Mark interviews Tony Binns, an award-winning stand-up comedian and screenwriter whose feature #ROXY was nominated for 3 Canadian screen awards, 3 Canadian Comedy Awards, and took home Best Feature at the Ampia awards as well as Best Feature for Teens at the Kidscreen awards. Tony is also the man behind the parody profile on Facebook called Definitely The Real Alex Lifeson where he pretends to be a guy pretending to be the real guitarist from Rush. Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, which includes a few engagements he'll be speaking at in person and virtually: IN PERSON: (Brantford, ON) Brantford Public Library (April 2, 2025 from 6 PM to 7:30 PM) – VIRTUAL: (Online) (April 6, 1:30 PM Eastern). Keynote: Writer, The World Needs You: Why Your Writing Is More Important Than Ever IN PERSON: (Los Angeles, CA) . Week of mentoring winning writers and Gala Dinner/Evening celebrating this year's winners on April 10, 2025 Mark then shares a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Toronto Indie Author Conference, taking place April 26 & 27, 2025 in Toronto, ON. The schedule appears below Learn more about Toronto Indie Author Conference 2025 . In their chat, Mark and Tony talk about: How Tony is a multi-faceted nerd who used to tape episodes of SCTV so he could play them back and memorize them Being big into Monty Python and, of course, Rush Always thinking that he was going to be an actor and his love of Shakespeare, but always getting the comedic parts Being a good actor but not being so good at auditioning because he freezes when put in a pressure situation Founding a comedy sketch troop called Obscene But Not Heard which was partially inspired by his love for Kids In The Hall Evolving into doing stand-up despite being a shy person Deciding to leave stand-up comedy around the time that Covid hit The movie XROXY (a modern tale based on Cyrano de Bergerac) that Tony wrote after he pitched it to some producers he had done some other work for Having a strength for dialogue but a weakness when it comes to plot Being brought in to help punch up an episodic YouTube series that was a campy horror flick and make it funnier (TRUCKSTOP BLOODSUCKERS) Tony's most recent script entitled SAVING MR. CHRISTMAS and how it evolved into a completely different movie than the one that he originally pitched The "we love this, change everything" thing that happens with movies Tony's WAITING FOR WAITING FOR GODOT which is a show about two women waiting for a production of the play Waiting For Godot which never happens, and how that play was inspired by the way that days could blur together for people, particularly as we get older and "become that guy" Being a Rush fan since he first heard "Spirit of Radio" How Tony was inspired to create a fake Alex Lifeson account on Facebook after he's seen a fake Geddy Lee account The relation between ADHD and being "all in" on something -- like Rush, Monty Python and Rush for Tony How, during Covid Tony did a one-man reading of Monty Python and the Holy Grail Doing a Canadian overdub of Dragonball Z Adapting a pilot from a Canadian novel called The Smeltdog Man by Frank Macdonald and leveraging the "Deadpool" style of breaking the fourth wall Advice that Tony would give to the young nerdy Mark and Tony How Tony used to write sketches even though he didn't have an outlet for them The Dungeons & Dragons podcast that Tony is a part of called The +2 Rodcast And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on a few things that came up in the discussion. Links of Interest: Tony's The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/35894950

EP 407 - An Evening With A Drink And A Friend With Kevin J. Anderson 03/20/2025

EP 407 - An Evening With A Drink And A Friend With Kevin J. Anderson Mark has a virtual beer with Kevin J. Anderson while they talk through various aspects about writing and publishing. This episode is from a live chat that was hosted on the evening of Sunday March 16, 2025. This episode is sponsored by : Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place in early Feb 2026 in Colorado Springs, CO and where Mark will be a guest speaker. Use code: STARK100 to get $100 off your registration. In their chat Mark and Kevin talk about: The loss of author and poet Danny Peart, Neil Peart's brother and how the first story Kevin and Neil wrote together named the main character after Neil's brother Mark and Kevin's Rush and beer connection Kevin's "music starter kit" to his grand-kids The significance of the Rush album Grace Under Pressure to both Kevin and Mark How the Columbia Music Record Club is what led to Kevin discovering Rush (because he was looking for sci-fi style album covers and Rush's 2112 jumped out at him) The back-story to Kevin's Terra Incognita novels Writing a novel that was a tie-in to a Rush album How Kevin has been able to leverage Kickstarter to produce products that no New York publisher would likely ever get behind The way a tribute song "No Words" about Neil Peart led to a new friendship and collaboration with Kevin The music behind the Terra Incognita trilogy Kevin's Kickstarter for Terra Incognita funding in 14 minutes, but the ultimate goal of earning back the high investment he has already put into it The number of novels that Kevin has written Benefits of being able to order books directly from the author versus going through the multiple layers of traditional publishing Superstars Writing Seminars, the conference that Kevin, his wife Rebecca, Dave Farland, Eric Flint, and Brandon Sanderson started more than 15 years ago The Masters of Creative Writing with a focus on Publishing that Kevin teaches at Western Colorado University The annual anthology that this program publishes thanks to sponsorship from Draft2Digital The latest musical collaboration Kevin recently announced Kevin coming to Toronto's Massey Hall for RushFest on August 1, 2025 What books Kevin and Mark are currently working on Favorite advice for running a Kickstarter and the real costs of shipping and handling Kevin's love of hiking and dictating when he writes And more . . . Links of Interest: The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By /episode/index/show/markleslie/id/35800335

EP 406 - How Authors Can Engage With Their Library 03/14/2025

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

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