Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

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

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

Mark interviews author, artist, and editor LCW Allingham of Speculation Publications. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, comments from recent episodes, 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 LC talk about: How LC has always believed that she was born a writer based on the creative endeavours her family were constantly involved in pursuing Being encouraged, when very young, to find ways to express herself Her first "books" written when she was 3 and 6 years old An amazing fifth grade teacher she had and a special assignment that kicked off her non-stop writing Writing her first real full-length novel when she was 17 years old How, because of undiagnosed ADHD, once the "training wheels" of school fell off, it took her a while to find her writing groove The way finding writing workshops helped her hone her craft and develop her writing Finding out how to edit and get works out into the world was part of the larger struggle How rejection can be one of the hardest things for a writer Going to journalism school as the entire industry was transitioning and even disappearing Also being an artist and a musician The importance of finding the right kind of workshop The origin of Speculation Publications Some of the books and projects this publisher has done Attracting new authors and under-represented and marginalized voices in publishing Enjoying the process of creating and editing and publishing an anthology The way the press incorporates a joint vision from the editors How the press is now doing novellas and how they take submissions LC's new novella, Muse and how it helped her work through the grief of losing her mother The 2026 Hardcover version release of Muse that has a new cover and illustrations Making the decision to both traditionally publish and self publish How LC met her agent and navigating publishing with an agent Advise LC would offer to other writers And more... After the interview Mark reflects on a few things LC talked about in their conversation. Links of Interest: LCW Allingham's website Speculation Publications website EP 457 - A Show That Makes You Smile with The Patrick Scott Patterson Project EP 489 - The Balanced Approach to a Writer's Life with Ann Charles 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 LCW Allingham is an award-winning author, artist, and editor. Her publications include her novel, LADY, and novella MUSE, as well as short fiction. She is the co-founder and executive editor of the indie press, Speculation Publications, a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Horror Writers Association. She resides near Philadelphia with her family, her animals, and her ever growing art collection. 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

In this episode Mark interviews USA Today Bestselling author Ann Charles. Prior to the main content, Mark provides a personal update, welcomes a new patron, and shares a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored 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 Ann talk about: How Ann got into writing in the first place (as a way to stop complaining about the way some stories ended and writing her own stories) The first experience submitting her writing and the value of not giving up Getting an agent about the time she was shopping around book five The first "Deadwood" book which combined western, horror, mystery, supernatural, and romance and how it went up the chains until marketing finally shot it down because they didn't think it would have a big enough audience The "stuff" that happened to Ann in the middle of this powerful author career How the 4 to 5 month process of writing a book has now gone to a 6 to 9 month process Finding the balance in her 50s Sammy the Skeleton, Ann's mascot companion who hangs out in her office with her Moving from Push Marketing to Pull Marketing Losing the person who loved to tell stories by becoming a "content creator" The two tools/platforms she uses for that pull-marketing (Patreon and YouTube) What Ann learned about storytelling from taking photographs How Ann re-reads the entire existing series before she starts to write the next one The way Ann co-authors books with her husband Advice Ann would offer to writers either trying to get into it or trying to get back into it And more... After the interview Mark reflects on three different things that Ann mentioned in their conversation. Links of Interest: Ann Charles Website Ann Charles - YouTube Ann Charles - Patreon 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) 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 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 Ann Charles is a USA Today Bestselling author who writes hilarious, sometimes hair-raising, award-winning books overflowing with humor, mystery, adventure, romance, supernatural elements, and whatever else sounds like a great time on the page. Ann has a B.A. in English with an emphasis on creative writing from the University of Washington. When she isn't escaping into story worlds, she is arm wrestling her kids, planning road trips alongside her husband, and arguing with her sassy cats. 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

In this solo episode Mark shares anexcerpt from his recent book STARK REALITIES: Stacked-up Lessons Every Writer Needs To Know About The Business of Writing and Publishing. Learn more about this book at markleslie.ca/starkrealities Links of Interest: Stark Realities Book 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) 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 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