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Living The Next Chapter: Candid Conversations with Authors and Writers for Readers Searching for a New Read — Books
Living The Next Chapter: Candid Conversations with Authors and Writers for Readers Searching for a New Read

Living The Next Chapter: Inspiring Conversations with Amazing Authors and Writers – Better Questions, Better Conversations, Better Connections

Are you an avid reader or an aspiring writer seeking inspiration to embark on your own literary journey? Look no further! Welcome to “Living The Next Chapter,” the podcast that celebrates the world of books and writing. Join us as we connect you with captivating authors who have mastered the art of storytelling.

Living The Next Chapter is more than just a podcast. It is a platform built for meaningful conversations, authentic storytelling, and real connection within the literary world. Each episode highlights inspiring authors who openly share their journeys, including the struggles they have overcome, the triumphs they have achieved, and the lessons they have learned along the way.

This is a space where better questions lead to better conversations, and ultimately, stronger connections. Whether you are an experienced author or continuing to grow your voice, this platform offers a unique opportunity to expand your reach, elevate your message, and connect with a global audience that is passionate about books and writing.

This show is always ad free, if you love what you hear, please refill our coffee cup here! https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca

https://livingthenextchapter.com/

Author Podcast, Podcast for Authors, Book Podcast, Authors, Writing, Books, Literature, Storytelling, Creative Writing, Bestselling Authors, Interviews with Authors, Writing Tips, Publishing Insights, Book Recommendations, Author Experiences, Literary Discussions, Writing Process, Inspiring Conversations with Authors, How to Write a Book, Tips for Aspiring Writers, Behind the Scenes of Writing, Exploring Author Journeys

Latest Episodes:

E683 - Anson Joaquin - Author of Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction and Epic Fantasy - The Infernal Age series Mar 06, 2026

Show notes

EPISODE 683 - Anson Joaquin - Author of Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction and Epic Fantasy - The Infernal Age series
Anson Joaquin joins the show from Roanoke, Virginia, a mountain town he describes with both affection and humor. While the location may have been jokingly dismissed by others, it provides the peaceful setting where Anson balances family life, a full time job, and his work as a novelist.

Anson shares how his love of storytelling began early. As a child he was introduced to fantasy and science fiction through books like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. That early exposure sparked a lifelong interest in imaginative worlds and planted the idea that one day he would write a book of his own.

The turning point came after a vivid dream about a man on fire wielding an axe while fighting demons in the real world. The imagery stayed with him so strongly that he began writing down everything he could remember the next morning. What started as notes about the dream quickly expanded into ten pages of world building and eventually became the foundation for his series.

Anson quickly learned that having a great idea is only the first step. Early in the process he discovered the difference between writers who “pants” their stories and those who outline them in advance. Although he initially believed he was someone who could simply sit down and write, he realized outlining the plot and character arcs gave him the structure he needed to make steady progress.

With a demanding schedule and four children at home, his writing routine happens early in the morning before the rest of the day begins. Each session is guided by a clear goal. Knowing what he wants to accomplish in each chapter allows him to make the most of limited writing time and continue building the story step by step.

The series blends science fiction, fantasy, and horror within a post apocalyptic setting. The story begins with a failed secret experiment that tears open a breach between worlds, unleashing terrifying creatures often described as demons. The narrative follows three central human characters and occasionally shifts perspective to one of the demons, a storytelling choice inspired by feedback from early beta readers who wanted to see more of that character.

Key takeaway:
A compelling story may begin with a spark of inspiration, but turning that idea into a finished book requires structure, persistence, openness to feedback, and a commitment to learning every part of the creative and publishing process.

The Infernal Age series is a post-apocalyptic genre blend of science-fiction, fantasy, and horror that explores the themes of humanity, metamorphosis, alienation, masculinity (both toxic and ideal), willpower, duty, friendship, love, predation, magic, science, philosophy, and pithy quips. The series gradually becomes more fantasy as it progresses, as the world adjusts to its new reality. While the series is anchored in the traditions of The Mist and Dies the Fire, among others, it is also for people whose favorite part of Cabin in the Woods was the banter between the scientists in the lab, or whose favorite scene in Kill Bill Vol 2 was Bill's soliloquy about Superman's implicit contempt for the human race.
https://www.ansonjoaquin.com/

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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/
Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!
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E682 - Ben Schenkman - Author of The Devil You Know Series, Representation and Stories That Include All Voices Mar 04, 2026

Show notes

EPISODE 682 - Ben Schenkman - Author of The Devil You Know Series, Representation and Stories That Include All Voices
Ben Schenkman likes many things in life: his 20-pound Maine coon cat, his family, his coffee, and his eclectic hobbies—not necessarily in that order.
Ben also likes to play devil’s advocate in his urban fantasy books by exploring the gray areas of good and evil with questions like, “Does the end really justify the means? Or is it all simply black and white?” Ben leaves these questions lingering in the ether to challenge readers’ conventional thinking and delve into the complexities of moral dilemmas.
As a native of Connecticut, Ben draws inspiration from his upbringing and college years in New Haven, where his novels take place. When he wants to escape being a writer, he’s a massive foodie who goes on gastronomic adventures, an overachiever who collects degrees in Theater, Nuclear Engineering, and an MBA, or the manager/performer of the fire dance troupe, HVBRIS—all in a day’s work, really.
Want to know more about his work, or talk about coffee and cats? He loves hearing from readers!
https://benschenkman.com/

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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/
Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!
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E681 - Lisa Cheek - Twenty-five year career editing feature films and TV, The Big Day Mar 02, 2026

Show notes

EPISODE 681 - Lisa Cheek - Twenty-five year career editing feature films and TV, The Big Day
Lisa Cheek’s writing career began after a twenty-five year career editing feature films and TV commercials. Her first memoir, “Sit, Cinderella, Sit”, was a People Magazine pick, an Amazon Bestseller, made Zibby’s Most Anticipated Books for 2025 and was a Next Generation Indy Award finalist in Women’s Literature.
She’s written for both radio and television and is published in LA Poets and Writers Collective. Her next book, “The Big Day” comes out September 22, 2026. You can find her musings “One Minute Thoughts From A Pink Head” on Substack. She lives in LA with 2 dogs, 2 cats, and her husband, Big Johnson, where she has several scripts in various stages of development while working on her next memoir.
https://www.lisacheek.com/

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https://livingthenextchapter.com/
podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/
Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!
https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca

E680 - John Newton - Historical science fiction, a stone that heals anything, look-alikes, and time travelers losing their tools Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

EPISODE 680 - John Newton - Historical science fiction, a stone that heals anything, look-alikes, and time travelers losing their tools
About John Newton
Born in Simi Valley, California, John Newton attended twelve different schools until he finally got it right and was graduated from a high school on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The Cypriots soon realized it was in their national interest to ship John back to the United States. He meandered through college until the administration bribed him to leave with two apparently contradictory degrees: Theology and Electrical Engineering. He is currently working as an electrical engineer, robotics programmer, landlord, part time farmer, and father of seven. Sometimes he even writes a thing or two.
John Newton is the author of historical science fiction based on questions like:
What would you do with a stone that heals anything?
If you could look like anyone, who would it be?
What happens when time travelers lose their tools?
https://newtonscifi.com/

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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/
Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!
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E679 - Eric Nierstedt - Author of the urban fantasy series, the pantheon saga Feb 25, 2026

Show notes

EPISODE 679 - Eric Nierstedt - Author of the urban fantasy series, the pantheon saga
About the author
Eric Nierstedt grew up in central New Jersey, raised on a healthy diet of TV, comic books, and way, way too many books. As a child, he constantly daydreamed about his favorite stories, and re-adapting them to accommodate the early characters he was creating (and really, who didn't think that Lord of the Rings could use more characters?). In high school, Eric started the early drafts of what would become The Lightrider Journals, an epic fantasy trilogy. The first draft clocked in a record nine pages (thankfully, high school is four years).
After being accepted to Kean University, Eric continued working on Lightrider, eventually expanding the book to well over 300 pages, and crafting a much richer tale of Elemental Knights, otherworldly demons, and the superhero struggle of power and responsibility. Recently, Eric published SILENT PANTHEON, which delves into his love of mythology.
In his spare time, Eric has written for various publications, usually on events concerning music, pop culture, and as well as work for COMICSVERSE.com. His work has also been noted by the NJ Wordsmith Competition. He cites the works of Stephen King Neil Gaiman, and Terry Brooks as major influences,. Eric plans to continue mining those influences, and more, as he crafts his next book.
https://www.facebook.com/enierstauthorfantasynovels/

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https://livingthenextchapter.com/
podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/
Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!
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E678 - Robert Howell - Canadian Author of the Gothic Horror, Blood Castle, the sequel to Blood Mansion Feb 23, 2026

Show notes

EPISODE 678 - Robert Howell - Canadian Author of the Gothic Horror, Blood Castle, the sequel to Blood Mansion
Robert Howell has a range of skills and experiences, having studied Business Administration in college while taking courses in literature, poetry, cartography, and supernatural studies.
After completing college, he joined the military to satisfy his urge to travel across Canada and various parts of Europe. Following his military service, he spent 40 years in real estate, starting as an agent and later working in acquisitions for an investment company, focusing on locations such as Florida and Texas.
Despite having a successful career in real estate, his true passion was writing. To develop a profound set of writing skills, he took a writing course through the Long Ridge Writers Group, affiliated with the University of Connecticut.
After completing his writing course, he did different types of writing, newsletters, articles, web content, and short stories, and found love in writing fictional novels. He has written the successful Charm series, a great urban fantasy teen trilogy. With Blood Mansion, he has turned his imagination to adult gothic horror.
Born in Montreal, Quebec, he has raised four children as a single dad and has two grandchildren.
https://www.instagram.com/storywriter.ca/

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https://livingthenextchapter.com/
podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/
Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!
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E677 - Peter Cotton - Tales from Frank the Snake for Children from a Doctor, Grandfather and Storyteller Feb 20, 2026

Show notes

EPISODE 677 - Peter Cotton - Tales from Frank the Snake for Children from a Doctor, Grandfather and Storyteller
Peter Cotton is a retired physician living on Dewees Island in South Carolina, writing fun books for young children about Fred the lovable snake and his friends.
Peter grew up in England where the first tale was conceived long ago as a bedtime story for his then young children about how (not) to cross the road. When they had their kids, they asked what happened to “Fred-Fred”. Peter teamed up with a special illustrator (Canadian Bonnie Lemaire) and published the first book “When Fred the Snake got Squished and Mended”.
Together they now have a series of nine popular award-winning books, having fun in rhyme with Jungle Jim, Perdy and Jack and several animal friends. They go to school, welcome Jungle Jim, try camping, visit the beach, tour Charleston and recently have been exploring the sights of USA. Peter’s books have received numerous 5-star reviews (“move over Lewis Carroll”) and 5 Mom’s Choice gold awards. Peter enjoys presenting Fred at schools.
When not busy with Fred’s adventures, Peter travels widely to lecture, to enjoy his family, and to play golf. He reflected on life, and on his career as a Professor of Medicine/ Gastroenterology, in his memoirs “The Tunnel at the End of the Light”.
Peter says that he was not named after a rabbit. The English author Beatrix Potter wrote about Peter Rabbit, Flopsy, Mopsy, Benjamin bunny and Cottontail. Peter Cottontail is a shortened American invention.
https://petercottontales.com/

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https://livingthenextchapter.com/
podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/
Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!
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E676 - Jennifer Celeste Briggs - Watching Sarah Rise - A Journey of Thriving With Autism Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

EPISODE 676 - Jennifer Celeste Briggs - Watching Sarah Rise - A Journey of Thriving With Autism
Jennifer Celeste Briggs has a BA in English Literature from Swarthmore college. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and two daughters. Her daughter Sarah has a genetic anomaly and autism. When Sarah was four, Jenny decided to run a Son-Rise Program for her, calling it Sarah-Rise, and training at the Autism Treatment Center of America.
The Son-Rise Program is a loving child-centered approach to helping those with autism and other challenges connect socially, verbally, and through increased eye contact. Organizing hundreds of hours of therapeutic play time for Sarah, Jenny trained and coordinated multiple volunteers who contributed their love and creativity to the venture. Jenny started a blog to share the experience of Sarah-Rise and has heard multiple times that her words were helpful to others dealing with life struggles.
Jenny wants to help parents feel understood and to spread the word about The Son-Rise Program. She hopes that her words bring comfort, joy, and inspiration to readers whatever their challenges and journeys may be.
Sarah is a feisty and determined four-year-old with autism and a unique genetic blueprint. Her mom Jenny is equally feisty and determined, which leads to clashes and strife but also leads to phenomenal connection and progress as Jenny runs a Son-Rise Program for her, calling it Sarah-Rise.
The Son-Rise Program is an approach to working with people with autism to foster social connection. It provides intensely loving, focused one-on-one therapeutic play time, meeting Sarah where she is and never stopping her repetitive behaviors. Sarah’s language explodes, her eye contact intensifies, she plays games, plays imaginatively, uses the potty, eats healthily, reads, and writes.
Playing with Sarah is deeply rewarding for the volunteers who spend time in the Sarah-Rise room. While Jenny sometimes doubts herself and criticizes her parenting, she also explores new pathways to gentleness, joy, and laughter. She celebrates Sarah’s successes, marveling at the depth of love and creativity that her volunteers bring to the scene and stretching her own creative self. Accompany Jenny from Sarah’s birth through the decision to run Sarah-Rise, and follow the years of Sarah-Rise, pretending that markers are flowers and number flashcards are snowflakes. Have your heart warmed and your socks knocked off by this momentous journey.
“Watching Sarah Rise is equally informative as it is inspirational, gracious as it is gutsy. A beautifully written story filled with hope, integrity, and pure emotion, Briggs intimately invites her reader to experience the unique heartbreak and joy that comes with mothering a neurodivergent child.”
-Sherry Sidoti, author of A Smoke and a Song: A Memoir
https://www.watchingsarahrise.com/

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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/
Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!
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E675 - David Niemitz - Writer and Teacher - Guild Mage, a serial fantasy novel Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

Episode 675 - David Niemitz - Writer and Teacher - Guild Mage, a serial fantasy novel

Writer and teacher David Niemitz joins the show from Connecticut to talk about his dual life in the classroom and on the page, and how both worlds feed each other. He shares how teaching “film as literature” to high school seniors, using stories like Star Wars, The Matrix, Moana and The Princess Bride to explore the Hero’s Journey, keeps him immersed in narrative structure, character arcs, and mythic storytelling. That daily engagement with story craft feeds directly into his own writing.

David explains the practical realities of publishing, contrasting the limited data and delayed royalty statements that come with working through traditional and small publishers with the detailed dashboards and page-read metrics available to indie authors on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing and Kindle Unlimited. He talks frankly about the trade-offs: more support and distribution versus more control and information, and how audio rights and sales data can be even more opaque when handled by audio publishers.

The conversation then dives into his path to becoming an author. A lifelong reader raised in a house full of science fiction and fantasy, David rediscovered his passion for writing when he pursued a creative writing master’s degree while teaching full time and parenting a toddler. That intense season led to his first self-published science fiction novel, set on Europa and grounded in real-world technology and hard science principles. From there, he evolved his craft, ultimately launching Guild Mage, a serial fantasy novel that became his flagship series.

Guild Mage began as serial fiction following Liv, the daughter of a castle cook, who slowly discovers her otherworldly heritage and magical powers over many years. David wanted to explore what it means to age more slowly than those you love, watching human friends grow up, marry, and die while you remain “behind.” He layers in his own experience raising an autistic son, using Liv’s slower social-emotional development and sense of being left out as an emotional core, then gradually raising the stakes as she moves from bullied child to powerful adult in a complex fantasy world.

Community is at the heart of his process. Early chapters of Guild Mage release first on Patreon, where a devoted Discord community offers feedback, catches continuity errors, and even helps shape cover art concepts that his publisher then passes to illustrator Ben Moran. David describes this as “open development” for fiction, heavily influenced by decades of tabletop roleplaying games where he learned to watch what players love, adjust pacing, and keep tension high so no one gets bored.

He also unpacks his hybrid “pantser with prep” approach to plotting using worldbuilding notes, bullet lists, and physical note cards for complex multi-POV battles, while still leaving room for discovery and reader-driven emphasis.

https://www.facebook.com/p/David-Niemitz-Author-61558007085046/

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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/
Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!
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E674 - Hope Cole - Fantasy Author and Health Writer - Daughter of the Void Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

EPISODE 674 - Hope Cole - Fantasy Author and Health Writer - Daughter of the Void
About the author
H.R. Cole is a Pennsylvania native who completed her first (handwritten) fantasy novel at the age of twelve. She’s remained an avid writer and has one published middle grade novel and a successful health journalism career. Cole lives with her husband, dogs, and cats in mountainous Upstate New York.
Book: Daughter of the Void: Chains of Fate Trilogy: Book One
Her power holds the promise of unraveling the fabric of the world, but using it will chain her fate to the gods.
In a world where tendrils of magic envelop all things, Raelyn discovers she’s one of the last of her kind: a warden. As a conduit of the gods capable of creating holes in the fabric of magic, she is a daughter of the void. Forced to flee as her city burns and her best friend is kidnapped, she finds herself in an unexpected partnership with Laris, a mage whose abrasive personality hides a desire to keep her safe. The pair are chased deep into the Vast, a treacherous mountain range filled with hostile feyfolk, where Raelyn grows ever closer to her companion and learns the consequences of being directly connected to the gods.
Guided by the spirit of the last Holy King and unknowingly hunted by Saraht, an enemy warden with a personal vendetta of her own, Raelyn and Laris embark on a journey to seek answers. Along the way they must confront the growing threat of war and the knowledge of Raelyn’s true purpose: a devastating power she will need to embrace to defeat Saraht, but one that will alter her fate forever.
https://www.hrcole.com/

Support the show

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https://livingthenextchapter.com/
podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/
Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!
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