Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Latest Episodes:

EP 443 - Strategies for Short Fiction Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

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: Creating Income & Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction and Angelique's Writing and Selling Short Stories with Angelique Fawns Substack.

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

EP 442 - Dear Writer You Still Need To Quit with Becca Syme Nov 07, 2025

Show notes

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 Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report.

In their interview, Mark and Becca talk about:

How it has been an extremely long year since Becca was last on the Stark Reflections Podcast
Becca's long-time aversion to marketing and how she has decided to approach it
The Kickstarter that Becca has launched and the various prizes she is offering for each of the tour stops
The prize that Stark Reflections listeners can win just by listening and entering their name
How Becca is trying to make each stop on the podcast guest tour different by focusing on different tips and ideas with every episode
Mark's idea on how he deals with Kickstarters where international shipping isn't an option
The limited number of vinyl albums that will be available through Becca's Kickstarter
How the publishing industry has changed dramatically since 2017 when Becca's first "Dear Writer, You Need to Quit" book came out
The cheeky thought that Becca was considering for her latest book with using the popular F-word expletive
How long Becca's Kickstarter will be running
Trying to spend more time on her fiction writing, but struggling with how much she loves collaborating with and helping other writers
The positive impact of dating another writer where they can motivate one another to get more writing done
How Becca had never intended to build a business as a coach and a non-fiction writer
The two other pen names that Becca writes under for different series and genres. Mystery written as R.L. Syme. Paranormal Romance (written with a co-author) written as Cameron Reece. Urban fantasy under the name: Macy Dixon
The recent "work vacation" that Becca took which helped enable some solid research for her writing
Becca's reminder that under different pen names and genres, a writer will usually have a uniquely different voice
The specific playlists that Becca has for each one of her pen names and genres and the very separate personas she embraces when writing each
The comment Mark made that led Becca over to checking out his Clifton Strengths to confirm her suspicion
How Becca is a real "sense of place" writer who connects emotionally with the physical space and the connection to the earth, the mountains, etc

After the interview, Mark reflects on the idea of wanting to help writers, and how that often leads to one's own writing taking a back seat.

Links of Interest:

Becca Syme's Better-Faster Academy
Better-Faster Academcy LINKS
- Better Faster Academy TOUR STOP GAME - Enter that you listened to Becca's interview on the Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing Podcast
Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link)
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

Becca Syme (MATL) is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and has individually coached more than 6000 authors at all levels. She is the author of the Quitbooks for Writers series and the popular Write Better-Faster course, and the host of the Quitcast for Writers podcast and YouTube channel. She also writes mystery novels and lives on one of the thousand lakes in Minnesota.

EP 441 - A Bookstore for Indie Authors with Donovan Scherer Oct 31, 2025

Show notes

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 Manuscript Report. 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 really learning about how to sell books online, but rather through in person events like comic book conventions
The popularity of the ZomBeans (zombies) Donovan has drawn, including unique caricatures of his patrons
The idea of working on a "talking flowchart" to help understand what people gravitate towards
How Donovan has been doing local markets for 15 years -- since 2010
The regular festivals Donovan has started running in the parking lot across the street from his store
Acquiring the Studio Moonfall 400 square foot store in 2019
What Donovan carries in his store
How Donovan acquired ten pallets of books from a library that was wanting to move them
Half of what Donovan sells in his own store being his own work -- meaning that his average margin is much higher than most other bookstores
The CUT THE LINE promo where authors can get their books featured in the store and via the store's socials by providing 8 copies of their book to Studio Moonfall
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the incredible effort and unique approach to creating his own store in order to ensure his work was available in a brick and mortar space. He also talks about the various margins that are typical for bookstores and how Donovan has navigated that with some ingenius moves.

Mark also shares a special offer for patrons related to the CUT THE LINE promotion Donovan has in place.

Links of Interest:

Donovan Scherer is an author and illustrator creating worlds of adventure with a sense of humor and a little bit of dread that everything will go terribly, terribly wrong.

In 2009, he started the Fear & Sunshine series of middle-grade illustrated novels and began his work in book publishing. Along with developing more of his own series across novels, comics, video games, and animation, he also works with independent authors to help bring their stories to life.

In 2019, he opened the Studio Moonfall in downtown Kenosha, Wisconsin - an art studio and bookstore featuring his endlessly increasing body of work and highlighting other local and independent authors and artists.

EP 440 - Behind the Scenes of The Podcast Guest Playbook with Matty Dalrymple Oct 24, 2025

Show notes

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 Manuscript Report. 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
The phrase that goes along with the very intentional passing of the manuscript from one co-author to another
How long Matty has been running The Indy Author Podcast
The genesis of the book PODCASTING GUEST PLAYBOOK that Matty and Mark co-authored
The underlying importance of connections that can happen through direct conversation between two people, but also among people who listen to that conversation (such as in a podcast)
An anecdote from meeting an author at ALA (American Library Association) who thought they'd met Mark in person before because they'd heard him as a guest on someone else's podcast
Wanting it to be a mutually beneficial relationship when making those connections
A reminder about the old Storygraph tool that showed a visual representation of how books were linked (Back in 2007 this was a visual search tool where book covers appeared as thumbnails and "connections" between books (via "customers who bought this also bought this") were drawn as lines.
Some of the unique connections that happened when both Mark and Matty were at ALA in Philadelphia in the summer of 2025
An example of how Damon Courtney of Bookfunnel is a great podcast guest who is more interested in providing value to all listeners rather than someone who is solely trying to sell his product
How indirect opportunities can be better than a sudden spike in book sales
The offer that Matty has for authors to help do a short interview for them to demonstrate their skills as a interview guest
A special offer for patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast to get a free coaching session from Matty with her pod-pro coaching
An example of a guest who was very reluctant to provide valuable information in an interview (ie, being far more interested in selling something)
The value of having a service mindset over a selling mindset
Making sure that you're pitching to the right podcast in the right way at the right time
Advice Matty would offer to authors
And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on a few different things, including the rise of the sophistication of the spammy author connection and service requests that arrive in his email a half dozen times a day.

Links of Interest:

EP 439 - Rambling Reflections From The Road to Can-Con Oct 17, 2025

Show notes

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 TAKING THE SHORT TACK: Creating Income and Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction which is co-authored by Mark and Matty Dalrymple and was released this week in October 2025

Links of Interest:

EP 438 - A Personal Conversation with Malorie Cooper Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

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 born to be
How when you life authentically and vulnerably, people will actually be attracted to you
Living in a judgement-free zone/bubble
Feeling unsafe for the first time after she came out as Malorie
How coming out as trans is likely the hardest thing a person will ever do -- but, in addition to having a child, one of the most rewarding things Mal ever did
The recurring theme of "found family" in Mal's novels
And more...

After the conversation Mark reflects on the idea of priviledge he has in not having to be fearful when walking alone outside after dark (for example) about "found family" and the importance of connecting with others who understand you where you are.

Links of Interest:

Malorie Cooper is a science fiction author and creator of the Aeon 14 universe. She has written over one hundred books and plans to write another hundred more (at least).

Having built her career using advertising to spread awareness of her books, she's shifted focus to helping other authors get a leg up through paid ads on a variety of platforms, as well as optimizing their product page with a focus on increasing conversions.

She and her wife now run The Writing Wives, which helps dozens of authors a month reach their marketing goals.

In addition to storytelling and writing, Malorie loves playing games of any sort, gardening, and woodworking. She shares her home with a wife who also writes, an entrepreneurial teenaged daughter, and far more cats than are strictly necessary.

EP 437 - Nerding Out Over History, Science, and Maps with Malorie Cooper Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

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 Manuscript Report. 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 wife Jill on The Writing Wives - designed to help authors better market their books
Some misperceptions that authors have, such as "I'm not good at Facebook Ads"
Mal always being curious about everything, and getting story inspiration from looking at maps
How her fascination with maps led to mapping software for space maps, and an evolution into a sci-fi writer
Malorie's introduction to science fiction through the books of Anne McCaffrey
How maps can inform and inspire science fiction stories
The various struggles that Mal likes to tackle in stories she writes
Passion for history and looking at the US Naval build immediately after Pearl Harbor
The frustration Mal often has in much of science-fiction and fantasy where the world's aren't "big" enough
How Mal writes without having a story bible about the universes she has created and writes in
The way Malorie divides her time up between writing and working with authors for The Writing Wives
The long pause in writing new science fiction stories that happened shortly after 2020
Thinking back to 2016 when Mal's writing really started to take off (how the money being earned from that was better than the full-time employment work as a software developer)
The time when Mal was writing for about 14 to 16 hours a day, with her wife Jill creating a "protective bubble" around her so she could focus on writing
The experience of having two people on Patreon who have, for eight years, given Mal $50 a month
The power (and sense of accomplishment) that comes when you get to "the end"
Advice Mal would give to other writers
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the challenge of moving from part-time to full-time writer, as well as the heart-warming fact that there are those out there who resonate with a creator's works and step up to support them in heart-warming ways.

Links of Interest:

Malorie Cooper is a science fiction author and creator of the Aeon 14 universe. She has written over one hundred books and plans to write another hundred more (at least).

She and her wife now run The Writing Wives, which helps dozens of authors a month reach their marketing goals.

EP 436 - Artisan Publishing with Blue Feathered Quill Oct 03, 2025

Show notes

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 (S.K. Randolph), 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 Manuscript Report. 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 2020, then later, the Masters of Publishing program at Western Colorado University
Being a fan of writing poetry as well as poetry put to music
Coming to the realization that he enjoyed helping other writers with getting their work ready for publication more than he enjoyed writing
The first book that Blue Feathered Quill published (a sweet-romance with a darker twist): Eth: A Novel
Joshua also having a background in music (taking mandolin lessons) as well as being an avid reader as a young person as well as pursuing the writing/publishing route when he was a youth
Getting a degree in education and starting a teaching career, and then returning to thinking about the world of books and publishing
Joining up with Alex on BFQ as a way to move into publishing and learning more about editing and cover design
The story Josh sold to the "Cupids" anthology that was published by Western Colorado University
The origin of the publishing name Blue Feathered Quill
The cross-country trip with a life-long friend that Alex made several years back
The idea of building a publishing company with a cohort of writers, editors, and other creative people who could help one another out in different ways
A look at the process they take when an author approaches them
The second book that they released on April 29, 2025: THE TALE OF JIRAIYA THE GALLANT (a classic Japanese story from the 1800's which is a bit of a precursor to Manga) and Joshua's passion for bringing this book into existance
How well their first book was already selling when it was first released in the spring of 2025
How authors who are interested in working with BFQ can reach out to them
Advice that Alex and Josh would like to relay to authors as well as those thinking of starting a publishing company
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on how they are running this company with passion and integrity, with a goal to work collaboratively with authors.

Links of Interest:

EP 435 - The Power of Writers in a Divided World Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

In this solo episode, Mark reflects on the power that writers bring to a divided world.

Prior to the reflection, Mark shares 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.

Links of Interest:

EP 434 - Held Over Passion Projects with John Gaspard Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

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.

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