Melissa R. Collings spent years in the operating room taking down one side of a spine while the surgeon took down the other — and her favorite part of the job was sewing the tattoos back together, because that part was art. She read the statistics on getting published and had exactly the wrong reaction. On rejection, waiting, and the book she was told to put away that sold in a week.

Melissa R. Collings is an award-winning author and former spine surgery physician associate. She writes humorous, diverse romance and women’s fiction, as well as probing psychological thrillers. When she’s not writing or plotting, you can find her engaging in deep philosophical conversations with her husband and kids in Nashville, studying preventative health, or losing time in a painting. Her imagination never fails to get her into trouble, and she lives by the philosophy: nothing is impossible, and everything is better with glitter — except surgical wounds.

“Some people think I’m just not even gonna try. And other people say, well, someone’s gotta be chosen — why not me? That’s who I am.” — Melissa R. Collings

Links and Calls to Action

• Melissa R. Collings — melissacollings.com
• Melissa’s newsletter (goes out every Monday, and it is where she breaks her news first) — melissacollings.com/newsletter
• Instagram and TikTok @melissarcollings · Facebook /MelissaRCollingsAuthor · Substack @melissacollings · Goodreads: Melissa Collings
• The Love Operation — out this October. Pre-order at melissacollings.com.
• The False Flat — her debut novel with Montlake.
• Melissa’s book answer: the book you need right now is the book you need right now. If pressed, she names Atomic Habits by James Clear.

• Get Honorée’s Nonfiction Author’s Empire Roadmap HERE.

Cliff Jones started a temporary landscape company in the 2008 recession and is still running it seventeen years later. He has also been through three brain cancer diagnoses in fourteen years while building it. His word for his life right now is thankful. On the migraine that would not quit, what he had to give up control of, and why he now blocks time on the calendar to sleep in.

Cliff Jones is the founder of Landscape Solutions, a landscape design-build firm focused on thoughtful landscapes, craftsmanship, and lasting relationships. Guided by faith, family, and the Golden Rule, Cliff leads with resilience, humility, and a passion for creating meaningful outdoor spaces.

“You have to react to the moment you’re in. It’s okay to be sick. It’s not that you’re down — it’s that you’re not a hundred percent.” — Cliff Jones

Links and Calls to Action

• Cliff Jones — Landscape Solutions, landscapetn.com · Instagram @landscape_solutions_tn · Facebook /LandscapeTN · LinkedIn: Cliff Jones
• Cliff’s two book recommendations: Right Away and All at Once by Greg Brenneman, and Every Day Counts by David Pollack.
• Also mentioned: Die with Zero by Bill Perkins, and The Joy of Movement by Dr. Kelly McGonigal — the source of the hope molecules Honorée describes.

• Get Honorée’s Nonfiction Author’s Empire Roadmap HERE.

Jim Daneker is an award-winning and Billboard-charting composer, producer, and musical director. In addition to twenty-seven years as Musical Director, Keyboardist, and Producer for CCM icon Michael W. Smith, Jim has enjoyed a diverse musical career. He has produced several #1 albums, written music for film and television, and created a popular virtual instrument series called Backstage Pass in 2019. After two decades of serving other artists, Jim fulfilled his dream of scoring a cinematic instrumental album, Ad Alta (2017) — a project that fused soaring melodies reminiscent of classic film scores with creative synth textures, ethnic instruments, massive percussion, and lush orchestration supported by top musicians from around the world. In 2018 he produced another Billboard #1 album, this time for quadruple #1 artist Paul Cardall: an album that had the distinction of debuting on nine charts simultaneously and won a Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year. In February 2023 Jim retired from touring to launch his life dream project, Arcade Orchestra, which reimagines the biggest hits of the ’80s with iconic guest artists, live orchestra, and a spectacular live production. Arcade Orchestra is on track to open as a major long-term residency in one of Las Vegas’ biggest venues in Q1 2027.

Links and Calls to Action

• Arcade Orchestra — arcadeorchestra.com. Sign up for the newsletter there for ticket news, exclusive offers, and merch before the rest of the world. Instagram and Facebook @arcadeorchestra.
• Jim Daneker — jimdaneker.com · Instagram @jimdaneker · Facebook /jimdaneker · YouTube /c/JimDaneker
• Ad Alta — Jim’s cinematic instrumental album (2017). The title is Latin for "to the summit."
• Jim’s book recommendations: The Prayer Experiment by Matt Smallbone, and the book of Proverbs.
• Primary CTA (every episode): For the next step Honorée mentions in this episode, get her roadmap at honoreecorder.com/roadmap
• Get Honorée's Nonfiction Author's Empire Roadmap at HERE.