Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Latest Episodes:

EP 433 - Affordable Multi-Voice Audiobook Narration from Spoken with Phil Marshall Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

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 ScribeCount (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:

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 www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

Show notes

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 Manuscript Report. 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 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

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

Show notes

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 Manuscript Report. 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:

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).

EP 430 - Rambling Reflections From A Lemons To Lemonade Road Trip Aug 22, 2025

Show notes

This episode features a rambling reflection that Mark recorded on part of an unexpected and unplanned four-day road trip from Calgary, Alberta to Waterloo, Ontario.

When Mark was in Calgary, Alberta for the When Words Collide conference, Air Canada went on strike and all flights were canceled. Finding himself unable to get home (without having to pay for 4 nights in a hotel plus a flight on an alternate airline that would have cost him $1500), Mark decided to rent a car and drive back home nearly 3,500 kilometers (2174 miles) during the week of Monday August 18th through Friday August 22nd.

Instead of being frustrated over the predicament, Mark chose to see this as an amazing opportunity to see parts of the country he hadn't yet visited.

This episode is a rambling reflection from the road that he recorded on the morning of Wednesday October 20th on the highway between Dryden, ON and Thunder Bay, ON.

Links of Interest:

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

Show notes

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:

The 2025 Aurora Awards (Livestreamed on Aug 10, 2025)
- Previous Years Auroras
  - 2024
  - 2023
  - 2022
  - 2020
- Opening Shtick Clips
  - 2025 ("If I Had $1000000" Parody)
  - 2024 (Graduating and Getting Married)
  - 2023 (Teaching Liz about Sci-Fi)
  - 2022 (Last Minute Host/Co-host)
Mark and Liz Parody Videos
- Stuck in This House Here with You
- K-Tel Pandemic Collection Commerical Parody
Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link)
Buy Mark a Coffee
Patreon for Stark Reflections
The 2025 Aurora Awards Livestream (Sunday Aug 10 at 5 PM Eastern)
- The Opening Schtick Bits from previous Aurora Awards
Mark's YouTube channel
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

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

Show notes

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 Manuscript Report. 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:

Alison McBain Website
Alison's "Author Versus AI" Project
ScribesMICRO
Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link)
Buy Mark a Coffee
Patreon for Stark Reflections
The 2025 Aurora Awards Livestream (Sunday Aug 10 at 5 PM Eastern)
- The Opening Schtick Bits from previous Aurora Awards
Mark's YouTube channel
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

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.

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

Show notes

In this solo episode Mark talks about the experience of hiking two different mountainscapes in the Canadian west. The first, Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, British Columbia. And the other, the foothills of Fairview Mountain at Lake Louise, Alberta.

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

Links of Interest:

EP 426 - Getting YOUR Book Into Bookstores and Libraries Jul 25, 2025

Show notes

In this episode Mark shares clips and highlights from a talk he'll be giving at the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) Summer Virtual Conference 2025.

Ready to take your children's book career to the next level?

Wherever you are in your publishing journey, the Virtual Summer Conference provides an opportunity for growth, creativity, and connection. Dive into every aspect of the children's book world, from writing and illustrating to translating, marketing, and self-publishing. Put your art in front of industry pros in the career-launching Portfolio Showcase. And get inspired by sessions tailored for illustrators, picture book authors, nonfiction writers, graphic novel creators, and more—no matter your path or publishing background. Best of all? You'll have access to all 50+ sessions until September 14th, so you can learn and grow at your own pace. Join us and invest in your passion. It's time to bring your stories to life! REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN.

You can register for the full conference, which takes place July 31st through August 3, 2025 online at scbwi.org.

Links of Interest:

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

Show notes

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 Manuscript Report. 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:

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.

EP 424 - Passion From Between and Beyond The Pages with Jessica Rampersad Jul 10, 2025

Show notes

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 Manuscript Report. 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:

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.

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