『Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing』のカバーアート

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

著者： Mark Leslie Lefebvre
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 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)Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Public License アート 文学史・文学批評
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  • EP 456 - Multiple Creative Outlets with Artist, Author, and Musician Meaghan Smith

    EP 456 - Multiple Creative Outlets with Artist, Author, and Musician Meaghan Smith
    2025/11/28
    Mark interviews Meaghan Smith about the new children's book IT SNOWED that she wrote and illustrated, which was inspired by her popular holiday song of the same name. This Juno-Award winning singer-songwriter shares her many creative passions for music, writing, and art. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and 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 interview, Mark and Meaghan talk about: The origin of Meaghan's song "It Snowed" and how quickly it came together once the inspiration struck her on wanting a seasonal holiday song for people who might not celebrate ChristmasOne of Meaghan's favorite things about the snowHow this song has gone on to become one of her most popular songs and now it's a picture bookStudying animation at Sheridan College and the ongoing art that Meaghan has been creating all of her lifeThe voice recording for an animation project in a studio in college that led to others recognizing her singing voice and an eventual career as a musicianMeghan's experience in "if you just show up" and try something, things can have a way of working outPainting in the hotel rooms and green rooms while traveling as a musician as a way to alleviate her anxietyThe additional stationery line that Meghan has which includes greeting cardsHow the manager of Woozles bookstore in Halifax asked Meaghan if she ever considered writing a bookGetting better at accepting things without needing them to be perfectThe "grumpy little cat" who is present throughout Meaghan's IT SNOWED bookHow snow can be such an interesting substance and the way Meaghan wanted to capture all the magic of it in her bookHow the book follows the lyrics of Meaghan's song, but also goes through the entire day for the kids in the storyThe way snow can make us all feel like kids againMeghan's current bread-and-butter writing custom songs for people The Christmas concert Meaghan is doing Dec 19th and 20th in HalifaxThe second book Meaghan is working on for Nimbus based on a song she wrote for her baby when he was still inside her bodyHow Meaghan divides up her work day and the various creative forms of expression that she exercisesAnd more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on Meaghan's multiple creative outlets and the various ways that authors, artists, poets, musicians can give a gift to the world born from their inspiration and passion. Links of Interest: Meaghan Smith (Website)It Snowed (Picture Book)Meaghan Smith: The Holiday Show (2025 - Halifax, NS) Friday Night Tickets (Fri Dec 19, 2025)Saturday Matinee Tickets (Sat Dec 20, 2025) Meaghan's OUR SONG "Wonder Woman" - An example of an OUR SONG written and performed by Meaghan Smith and Jason Mingo inspired by Liz Anderson Woozles Bookstore (Halifax, NS)EP 146 - Finding Yourself in Our Song by Meaghan SmithManuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%)Buy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsMark's YouTube channelElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link)Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas VacationI Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises Meaghan Smith is a JUNO Award-winning musician, visual artist, and storyteller whose creative life bridges the worlds of music and fine art. Born in London, Ontario—known as The Forest City—Meaghan grew up drawing and exploring the woods and fields near her home. Her love of art led her to study classical animation at Sheridan College, later working as a storyboard artist before shifting her focus to music. That leap brought her to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she now lives with her husBand, producer and songwriter Jason Mingo, and their two sons. Over the past 20 years, Meaghan has built a multifaceted creative career. As a musician signed to Warner Brothers Records, she toured internationally, sharing stages with artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Tracy Chapman, Ron Sexsmith, and k.d. lang. Her debut album The Cricket's Orchestra earned her the 2011 JUNO Award for Best New Artist, multiple East Coast Music Awards, and a Polaris Prize nomination. Her song Mirror, from her sophomore album Have a Heart, was a semifinalist in the International Songwriting Competition. Today,...
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    57 分
  • EP 445 - Overcoming The Self-Sabotage from Buried Trauma with Andrea Torrey Balsara

    EP 445 - Overcoming The Self-Sabotage from Buried Trauma with Andrea Torrey Balsara
    2025/11/21
    In this episode Mark interviews Andrea Torrey Balsara about her writing, her passion in inspiring joy through storytelling and energy healing, trauma, creativity and much more. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a brief personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. I THINK IT'S A SIGN THAT THE PUN ALSO RISES is available now in hardcover, mass market sized paperback, and audiobook. In the interview Mark and Andrea talk about: The very serious and troubling trauma Andrea had been living with for most of her life without realizing it and how it prevented her from trying to focus and work onThe sabotage that kept creeping up from her subconsciousBeing told the importance of writing her own stories, which led to taking some writing classesHow writing became a way for Andrea to express things that she was not otherwise able to express and the way it led her into a space where she could become fully creativeWhen the memory of the terrible trauma came back to Andrea and struggling with wondering if it really truly happenedHow it's almost easiest to allow yourself to go crazy than to think that you "were evil" or just making this all upNot avoiding the darkness in her Young Adult booksThe love that Andrea has for the teenage girl that she wasHow hard it is for a person hurting and going through such trauma just taking that next stepFinding herself within the character of a story of hope and finding the light in the darknessRecognizing that yes, horrible things happen in this world, but many gifts are also given to help get through itThe "heroes journey" of making one's life satisfying saying "this is not where my story ends"Andrea's novel THE GREAT AND THE SMALL and how it explores what it takes to enable the rise of dictatorship via very small personal compromises that a person can make along the wayThe value in looking for the light, looking for the hope, and the importance of people being the change in Andrea's novelBelieving in the capacity and the necessity to unite, and that the search for truth is a human right and responsibility that lies within each of usThe "10 Steps to Inner Peace" that helped Andrea through the darkness (and which is available for anyone to read via a download on her websiteHow evil itself isn't a thing, it's the absence of loveThe way that we can be that "leaven" in the breadThe studies that have shown that sending love to a plant can help it thrive (and vice-versa when sending negative energy)And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on a few elements of the Andrea's message that resonated with him. Links of Interest: Andrea Torrey Balsara's Website InstagramLink to Andrea's TEN STEPS TO INNER PEACE PDF download Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link)Buy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsMark's YouTube channelElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link)Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas VacationI Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises Andrea Torrey Balsara is an award-winning children's and young adult author/illustrator, as well as an energy medicine practitioner and mental wellness and creativity coach. Her passion is to inspire joy through storytelling and energy healing, helping people-of-all-ages to walk "the Hero's Journey" in real life. She writes and illustrates for young children under her full name, Andrea Torrey Balsara, and for young adults under A.T. Balsara. Andrea is also a painter, an avid amateur explorer of quantum physics, and a keen environmentalist. She advocates for the humane treatment of animals and regularly volunteers at a donkey sanctuary where she uses energy medicine to help previously neglected and abused animals regain their health and vitality. 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
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    1 時間 1 分
  • EP 444 - Book Marketing Made Easy with Manuscript Report

    EP 444 - Book Marketing Made Easy with Manuscript Report
    2025/11/14
    Mark interviews Florin Bulgarov, co-founder of Manuscript Report. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and 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 interview, Mark and Florin talk about: Florin's background with a PhD in A.I. and how he ended up evolving into creating the toolset of Manuscript ReportHow Manuscript Report was initially created as an assessment tool for publishers when going through their slush pilesWhat assets Manuscript Report offers for authors to use in their marketing strategy approachesThe additional assets from the reports including the visual pie-chart of the genre split/breakdown as well as the themes and the tropes associated from the manuscriptThe social media posts, blog posts, and book bible assets that authors can request in a higher level reportThe fact that Manuscript Report does not store the manuscript and does not train any AI on their manuscript. Within 30 days all traces of the author's manuscript is deleted from their serversHow the system is optimized to run for one book at a time and the 1 million word limit on manuscripts run into Manuscript ReportThe "Narrative Crossroads" suggestions that an author might be able to use in a quick pitch/log line for the bookAn author who did A/B testing with her own written ads and the Manuscript Report ads and was able to reduce her cost by half and increase her sales by 60%An example of a report using Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian GrayHow Manuscript Report is a Swiss Army Knife for marketingAnd more... Links of Interest: YouTube Video of Interview (with visual walk-thru)EP 443 - Strategies for Short FictionEP 442 - Writer You Still Need to Quit with Becca SymeEP 441 - A Bookstore for Indie Authors with Donovan SchererEP 438 - A Personal Conversation with Malorie CooperEP 437 - Nerding Out Over History, Science, and Maps with Malorie CooperEP 429 - A Post-Mortem on Co-Hosting the 2025 Aurora Awards with Liz May AndersonDraft2Digital Self-Publishing Insiders: What to Quit, What to Keep, and What to Question with Becca Syme (YouTube)Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link)Buy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsMark's YouTube channelElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link)Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 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
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    1 時間 9 分
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