Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark Leslie Lefebvre

Details

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)

Recent Episodes

OCT 9, 2026
EP 495 - A Live Chat with Juliette N. Banks
Mark interviews Juliette N. Banks via a chat that was livestreamed to YouTube on Thursday October 7, 2026 at 7 PM Eastern. You can watch the video here: https://youtube.com/live/uGxilXgnAuw?feature=share Links of Interest: Juliette N. Banks Website A Book in Hand (Main Weblink with Kickstarter link on it - for late pledges) Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Stark Reflections articles on Substack 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 Stark Realities Book Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) 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 I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises Juliette N. Banks is an international bestselling romance author who has taken the romance world by storm. She writes both contemporary and paranormal page-turning romances with hot alpha heroes you'll fall in love with. Juliette has a vast background in consumer marketing and was previously published with Random House. When she's not writing and publishing monthly, or coaching other authors, she's either at the beach or playing with her Maine Coon kitty 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
65 MIN
OCT 2, 2026
EP 494 - Whales, Comic Books, Horror, and the Power of Community with Angela Yuriko Smith
Mark interviews Angela Yuriko Smith, a two-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author, editor, educator, and publisher. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, welcomes a new patron, and offers a word about this episode's sponsors. This episode is sponsored in part by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In their conversation, Mark and Angela talk about: The origin of the term "The Halloween People" for the HWA StokerCon conference Creating a huge "save the whales" message using rocks How a quote from a comic book first got Angela into writing Angela's start in writing doing articles and non-fiction and newspaper writing The situation that led to Angela taking over Space & Time magazine How important it is to put positivity into the world Winning a Bram Stoker Award for her "accidental" poetry Angela's first experience with critiques from a writing group Helping a woman publish her husbands poetry and what an honor it was for Angela Not really having an idea of what she's doing most of the time How Space & Time works for submissions for writers and their search for flash fiction The way that the Substack ties back into the printed magazine The story behind Authortunities The value of community Advise Angela has for other writers After the interview Mark reflects on the power of community, the power of words, and the power that fear of judgement can hold over us. Links of Interest: Angela's Main Website: Authortunitiespress.com The Expat Life Article (Randy Green) A Book in Hand (Main Weblink with Kickstarter link on it - for late pledges) Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Stark Reflections articles on Substack 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 Stark Realities Book Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) 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 I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises Angela Yuriko Smith is a two-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author, editor, educator, and publisher. She leads Space & Time and is the founder of Authortunities, a creative ecosystem helping writers create meaningful work, build sustainable creative lives, and shape the worlds they want to inhabit. She believes the world is a work in progress. Writers are here to shape what comes next. 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
67 MIN
SEP 25, 2026
EP 493 - Reflections on Spines, Thumbnails, and Showing Up
In this solo episode Mark shares a couple of recent articles that share perspectives of the logistics related to "spine marketing" and "thumbnail marketing." This episode is sponsored in part by... Mark's forthcoming book A BOOK IN HAND. Click here to get to the Kickstarter listing and be notified when the Kickstarter for the book goes live in mid September 2026. This episode is also sponsored in part by: An affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. Links of Interest: Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Stark Reflections articles on Substack 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 Stark Realities Book Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) 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 I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises 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
48 MIN
SEP 17, 2026
EP 492 - Life in the Fast Lane with Misti Hurst
Mark interviews Misti Hurst, a racer, a writer, a coach, and a mom. She is the author of LIFE IN THE FAST LANE: Discovering the Art of Cornering which is part manual, part memoir and compiles her decades of experience as a rider, a racer, and a coach. Prior to the main content Mark shares recent comments, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsors. This episode is sponsored in part by... Mark's forthcoming book A BOOK IN HAND. Click here to get to the Kickstarter listing and be notified when the Kickstarter for the book goes live in mid September 2026. In the interview Mark and Misti talk about: Recently celebrating a milestone birthday and looking at what she wanted to do next The column Misti wrote for in Motorcycle Mojo Magazine called "Life in the Fast Lane" Repurposing those articles into a book project to help fulfill a long-time dream she'd had How the content of Misti's articles are a bit of a "memoir meets technique" The two distinct moments where Misti totally fell in love with riding and racing motorcycles How motorcycle racing on a track is far safer because you're not dealing with the unpredictable behavior of other types of vehicles and motorists Some of the signals that motorcyclists offer one another when they pass on a highway The comradery and shared connection that motorcyclists have with one another Life lessons that can be derived from a passion for motorcycles and racing How Misti is going to focus on slightly different topics in the ongoing series of books The chapter in Misti's book called "Oh, Great! I Got The Girl Coach" that addresses stereotypes and sexism Breaking stereotypes related to motorcycle culture The freedom and exposure to the environment that can be experienced when driving on a motorcycle How when racing on her motorcycle is the only time when Misti's mind is calm because you HAVE to be focused The value of leveraging the very techniques of learning a track when traveling to foreign and differently laid out track environments The concept of "at least they were doing what they loved" and the power of that sentiment And more... After the interview Mark shares a few reflections from elements of the conversation. Links of Interest: Misti Hurst's Website Episode 489 - The Balanced Approach to the Writer's Life with Ann Charles Substack Article: Word by Word, Pound by Pound: Measuring success in the long-run rather than in your "lesser" moments Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Stark Reflections articles on Substack 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 Stark Realities Book Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) 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 I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises Misti Hurst's mission is to lead by example as a racer, coach, writer, and mom—blending skill, vulnerability, and grit to help others grow on two wheels and in life. She is a former AMA Pro 600 Supersport and FX Racer, a certified Level III California Superbike School Coach Worldwide, and a columnist for Motorcycle Mojo and Adventure Bike Rider magazines. She has also worked as a freelance writer, pr/media specialist, mountain bike instructor, and, her toughest role yet, a mom of two incredible kids. She is passionate about helping riders become the best versions of their riding selves. Writing her stories started as a way to stay connected to the sport and community she loves — even when mom duties kept her from spending weekends racing or riding. 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
67 MIN
SEP 10, 2026
EP 491 - Turning Intention Into Action with Avery Crumrine
Mark interviews author and entrepreneur Avery Crumrine about her business helping authors get their books into the world and her book INTENTION INTO ACTION. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsors. This episode is sponsored in part by... Mark's forthcoming book A BOOK IN HAND. Click here to get to the Kickstarter listing and be notified when the Kickstarter for the book goes live in mid September 2026. In the interview Mark and Avery talk about: Growing up around entrepreneurs and how that's long been a big part of Avery's life The award Avery got at the age of 11 for hosting her own entrepreneur fair Avery's first business called Crafty Girls, started at the age of 10 Getting into writing around fifth grade The origin of this book derived from a road trip and a stage talk Avery had done The importance of looking at AFTER the first step, and after the initial motivation fades The logistics of how Avery mapped out an outline and wrote the book The formats that the book INTENTION INTO ACTION is available in Three things that result in people getting stuck Where Avery actually got a little bit slowed down in her own experience publishing her book The company that Avery now runs to help people write and publish their book in 45 days How unnecessary it is for most non-fiction books to be extra long, filled with fluff, and bloated What parts of the process of publishing Avery hadn't been expecting Avery's decision to go with a basic and stark cover without any distracting elements to it The concept that momentum is built through participation The benefit of simplifying in order to get a project complete How folks are always placing other people in a box based on factors like their age And more... After the interview Mark reflects on a few discussion points from the conversation. Links of Interest: Avery's Website Avery's Become An Author Site Avery's Business: Asterah Episode 489 - The Balanced Approach to the Writer's Life with Ann Charles Substack Article: Word by Word, Pound by Pound: Measuring success in the long-run rather than in your "lesser" moments Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Stark Reflections articles on Substack 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 Stark Realities Book Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) 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 I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises Avery Brenna Crumrine is a writer, speaker, and student based in San Diego, California. She is currently studying finance and has been involved in entrepreneurship and nonprofit work from a young age. Avery grew up around people who build things, which shaped how she thinks about responsibility, follow-through, and action. Her work has included organizing entrepreneur fairs, contributing to charity auctions that raised over six figures, editing and producing media, and speaking at events on rejection, confidence, and showing up before you feel ready. Intention Into Action is her first book. It reflects how she approaches life and work: learning by doing, staying engaged when momentum fades, and choosing movement over waiting. She wrote this book in the middle of it. While still learning, building, and choosing to move. 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
58 MIN