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Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

By: 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 Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • EP 463 - How to Bring Your Book Alive at an Author Event with Julie Hiner

    EP 463 - How to Bring Your Book Alive at an Author Event with Julie Hiner
    Feb 27 2026
    Mark interviews author Julie Hiner about creating an unforgettable book event for a book launch. Prior to the interview Mark shares a brief personal update a word from 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 the interview Mark and Julie talk about: Julie's branding as being strongly tied to the 80s and music even though she fought it at firstThe first book Julie published about road biking (JUST A GIRL ON A BIKE) which was the story of how she overcame a lot of fears and anxiety and the donations she makes with sales of that bookThe 21 switch-backs on the road biking in France that became the 21 steps in Julie's bookThe value of learning so much about self-publishing when Julie attender her first When Words Collide conferenceJulie's ongoing obsession with true crime, serial killers, and 80s metalInteracting with and interviewing Homicide Detective Dave SweetJulie's books in the Detective Mahoney series that started with the book FINAL TRACKThe original venue Julie used for her first book and the newer one she has partnered withThe special VIP pre-order packages Julie makes availableThe way the collaboration with the musicians work, including Julie creating lyrics for the bands to adapt into songsHow horror is a really safe place to explore extremely dark thingsStudies that show that aggressive music can help calm the brainThe creepiest serial killer that came up in the research Julie didSome of the things authors should consider when looking at their branding After the interview Mark shares about an event Julie has coming up in April 2026, and then talks about the importance of pulling out atmospheric elements from the book/story/characters/setting as well as the idea of writing with authenticity and passion. Links of Interest: Julie Hiner's Website Stella's Scream Book Launch Just a Girl and a BikeManuscript 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 BuildingOnce Bitten (Novella) 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 Julie Hiner spent her childhood lost in the pages of books. The only thing that took precedence was her Walkman. She is still an 80s rocker. On a break from her career as a computer scientist, she published an inspirational book about facing fears by cycling up mountains. Julie now writes horror/suspense infused with heavy metal. She has published a serial killer series, three horror novellas, co-curated an anthology, and had short stories published. She recently had a deep-sea horror novella published by Torrid Waters of Crystal Lake Publishing. You can find her at KillersAndDemons.com serving up metal and murder. 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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    43 mins
  • EP 462 - Daryn Brito on Showing Up With Love, Compassion, and Empathy

    EP 462 - Daryn Brito on Showing Up With Love, Compassion, and Empathy
    Feb 20 2026
    Mark interviews Daryn Brito, an advocate, writer, and researcher dedicated to supporting those who have faced trauma and adversity about her work and her new book THE BECOMING: UNREPEATABLE MIRACLE, WHO ARE YOU? Prior to the interview Mark shares a brief personal update a word from this episode's sponsor, and a trigger warning for listeners. This episode is sponsored by Toronto Indie Author Conference, taking place in Toronto, ON in April 2026. In the interview, Mark and Daryn about: Mark first meeting Daryn in a class at the Waterloo Regional Police Citizen's AcademyHow Daryn's main goal when doing speaking engagements is to start in a way to humilify herself first to help demonstrate her humanity and put the audience at easeThe importance of taking her academic study and leveraging it in a way that the average person can understand itHow Daryn is currently doing two simultaneous Masters programs in preparation for her PhdThe specific therapy models that Daryn is focusing on in her studyThe undergrad study Daryn did showing that only 3% of people who were in foster care attempt post-secondary education - this is usually due to lack of supportHow, growing up, school was the one area where Daryn had a sense of control, and how she focused hard in that realmRegularly being told that her heart is too big for her own goodDaryn's early childhood experiences, starting with her mother's experience while pregnant with DarynThe first time of having to go to court and testify as a victim of sexual assault at the age of twelveBeing a primary caregiver to younger siblings and struggling with a strong/high empathyDeciding she had finally had enough of living in a situation filled with IPV (Intimate Partner Violence)Getting involved in helping to train police officers in better understanding trauma related to IPVInitially mistrusting the police, particularly due to the environment she grew up inHow the investigating detective in Daryn's case was one of the most compassionate human being Daryn had ever met in her lifeThe deciding factor in making the police report not being about Daryn getting hurt again, but her feeling responsible for the possibility of other people getting hurtHow if it weren't for Daryn's heart for others, she wouldn't be here todayDoing a lot of speaking for police at the academy for those being trained in IPV (Intimate Partner Violence)The journals Daryn had always kept which helped provide the fruit for the creation of her book THE BECOMINGThe importance of breaking down the walls we put up, knowing that it's safe to open your heart to the world againThe various groups who have purchased Daryn's group in order to help other peopleChoosing a release date for her book as her ex-abuser's parole hearing day as a way to make that day brighterWhat Daryn would say to someone who is or has faced adversity or traumaThe incredible "basic needs" special housing program/project that Daryn is looking atThe value of showing up with love and compassion After the interview Mark reflects on the concepts of compassion and empathy and the importance of recognizing multiple viewpoints and environments unique to different people. Links of Interest: Daryn Brito WebsiteWaterloo Regional PoliceFlashpoint TV SeriesSuperstars Writing SeminarsStark Reflections on Pushing for Better (Team Landing Page)CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association) Mental Health MeterWhat's Your Stress Index? Manuscript 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 BuildingOnce Bitten (Novella) 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 Daryn Brito is an advocate, writer, and researcher dedicated to supporting those who have faced trauma and adversity. Through her work, she empowers individuals and strives for systemic change. What makes Daryn's journey so remarkable, is how she turns her lived experiences into transformative wisdom. So through her compelling public talks, her insightful research and her book The Becoming: unrepeatable miracle, who are you? Daryn challenges us to question who we are beneath all the labels, and invites us to step into our most authentic, fullest selves The introductory,...
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    52 mins
  • EP 461 - The Power of Stories to Instill Empathy, Resilience, Joy, and Hope with Ka-Yee Essoe

    EP 461 - The Power of Stories to Instill Empathy, Resilience, Joy, and Hope with Ka-Yee Essoe
    Feb 13 2026
    In this episode Mark interviews Ka-Yee Essoe about the power of stories to instil empathy, resilience, joy, and hope, based on her experiences in the academic world, in research, in teaching, and in writing an epic fantasy novel. Prior to the interview Mark shares a brief personal update and word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Toronto Indie Author Conference, taking place in Toronto, ON in April 2026. In the interview, Mark and Ka-Yee talk about: Mark and Ka-Yee's connection to Joshua EssoeKa-Yee's background with two different careers in academiaStudying how to help people learn therapeutic techniques betterStarting her creative writing journey in 2021How this story (that became the first of a trilogy she is writing) started to unfold in her head as dialogue128,000 words of the first draft coming out in about 2 months of writingKa-Yee's move into an academic teaching role, which is something she's always wanted to doOne of the classes that Ka-Yee co-teaches for writersHEXACO - the six-dimension personality testSome of the opposite-character writing exercises that derive from this testDebunking Myers-Briggs because it's not as science-basedKa-Yee's desire to help writers to write who has some sort of disabilityHelping students understand what therapy looks like and how to depict that relationshipTechniques on how to learn memory enhancementHow to evaluate routines and your process as a writerThe problem with getting into a habit of doing things a certain way and missing out on how to make it betterKa-Yee not realizing she had ADHD until she was an adultThe side-effect of suffering from long CovidThe concept of deliberate restApplying the scientific principle to writing an epic fantasy novelHow people tend to have two different careers in their lifeThe Kickstarter that Ka-Yee is running for her new book SHAZZWICK OF LAND VOL1: Time Becomes RelevantAaron Fors as the talented narrator for the audiobook versionWhat Ka-Yee's book is aboutHow she sees the world differently now that she has written this novel After the interview Mark shares a few reflections inspired by the interview. Notes from Ka-Yee as mentioned in the interview: Guidance I provided students to create their own weekly evaluation on their writing process Before you begin, I encourage you to take stalk of your current process. What's your goal, what's your why, what works/doesn't, how often do you write, what resources do you need -- not what you WANT it to be, but what it is now.Then create a survey using the guideline below. Answer the questions now as your baseline, then check in every week (ideally on the same day), revise the questions as you go. There is no wrong way to do this. These can be any format as you see fit, or a combination of. You can make the questions open-ended, some form of rating scales (e.g., rate from 0 to 10, or 1 = Completely Disagree to 5 = Complete Agree), multiple choice, or fill in the blanks. Just don't get too attached, you should be adjusting these as your process evolves or as life encroaches. Ask yourself 6-10 (ish) questions 1-3 questions on what you did in the past week: e.g., did you change/stick with your process? did try something new? how did it go? were you able to stick to it?2-3 questions on how "productive" or "successful" you are--but remember, every one's measure of success is different. E.g., how much did you write? how good were the writing? how brave were you in sharing your work with others? how zen you were about taking feedback.2-3 questions on how you are flourishing vs languishing: e.g., do I have mental space to do OTHER things I love? Did I spend time with people who matter to me? Did I feel my life has purpose, joy, satisfaction, and meaning?Last question: ask yourself something that gets to the "why" of your creative endeavour. WHY did you write this week? Did you remember to keep your eyes on that which drives you and keeps you up at night when you forget it. That which makes your writing something that you must do.(okay, then the last last question: do I need to revise these questions for next week?) The most important thing is: again, update these questions as you go. This needs to be a living document, otherwise you aren't giving yourself room to grow and learn. Links of Interest: Snow Quill PressThe Novel: Shazzwick of Land, Vol. 1: Time Becomes RelevantKickstarter for Shazzwick of Land Vol 1HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised (by Drs. Lee and Ashton (2009, 2018)) HEXACO is a 6-factor personality test that measures personality across six dimensions: Honesty-humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness. There's also a bonus trait, Altruism, that pools from subscales within the 6 larger traits. The Big Five Personality Inventory (by Goldberg (1992)) The Big Five is probably the most widely used personality test in psychology. It measures personality across five dimensions, often ...
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    47 mins
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