Aspects of Writing

Sports Collectibles guru Brandon Steiner joins us from New York to talk about finding your motivation. Brandon has a new book, Living on Purpose: Stories about Faith, Fortune, and Fitness That Will Lead You to an Extraordinary Life. His experience with life has been an interesting one. Growing up poor in New York (started working at age 10) he decided he was going to change his life. This is an extraordinary story form an extraordinary man.

Guests Carla Masterson joins us in the studio, and Adele Park joins us via Messenger from Utah to talk about Audio Books. Adele is the owner of quirkyaudiobooks.com, a studio set up to record books for audio distribution. Audio books are the fastest growing segment of the book industry. Joyce Gatschenberger and Janet Coursey are also present as we discuss what it takes to produce an audio book, and is it advantageous.

Author Rena Winters joins us in the studio to talk about the creative writing process. She is an instructor of creative writing at a local university. In addition, Rena spent over 40 years in Hollywood as a writer for both television and movies. She has penned three novels of her own, the latest being Holy Cause: Target America, and one with her husband, Robert Crawley. Finding your passion for writing may come from having a purpose, or vice versa. We all write for different reasons....

Lori Piotrowski joins Joyce Kaye Gatschenberger and me in the studio, and Walt Smith joins us from Hawaii via Messenger, to talk about connecting a charity to your book project. If you can find a charity to donate a portion of your book profits to may help drive sales. Walt created his own charity to help the oceans, and Lori is part of a group that targets the youth of our nation.

Tonya Todd joins us to co-host today's show with guests Jade Dee and Wilnona Marie to talk about "Brand Expansion." Creating your brand is one thing. Finding ways to improve on that brand isn't always as easy.. Jade and Wilnona define what it means to constantly find ways to expand. Dreaming big is a major part of it. As Jade puts it, "It doesn't cost anything to dream big," and boy do they ever. In this episode of Aspects of Writing, Jade and Wilnona point out that with the invention of...

Michal Stawicki joins us from Poland to talk about finding the necessary time to write. Some authors are disciplined, others, not so much. In this episode, we talk about the habits some authors have developed for writing, or where to find that extra hour or two during the day to write. Many authors write by inspiration. Therefore, they may not have a set time each day set aside for writing. Finding what makes you comfortable as a writer is the overall objective. Joyce Kaye Gatschenberger...

13-time Amazon bestselling author Paul Brodie joins us from Arlington, Texas to talk about "Making the Connection." On the panel for this show are Janet Coursey and Joyce Kaye Gatschenberger. There will be times when an author may not do well at a book-signing event. However, more times than not, the connections you make far out weight the book sales. In addition, you never know when you will make a good connection. That is what makes the art of writing fun and interesting.

In this episode, Ned Barnett and Joylynn M. Ross join Janet Coursey and me in the studio to talk about presenting yourself as an author. To the public, how we look is everything. Perception about an author can make a difference for how well your book sales go during an event or book signing. You should always look the part. In addition, the interaction between you and the book buyer is very important. Should you stand, or sit? How do you handle friends if they come by and stay to support...

R. Thomas Mc Pherson and Anthony Marcisofsky join us in the studio to talk about promoting your book in person. R. Thomas is the owner of New Atlantic Industries, a publishing company out of Austin, Texas. Anthony is the owner of an independent book store called Copper Cat Books, located in Henderson, Nevada. In this episode, we talk about the importance of events, networking, and book signings. In particular, we discuss presenting yourself at the independent stores and large events.

Today Scott Decker and Alan Livingston, along with my co-host for the show, Joyce Kaye Gatschenberger, join me in the studio to talk about "What Makes a Writer". We all come from different backgrounds, different family dynamics, and different views on life. So what does it take to become a writer. Does just being a writer makes you an author, or is that reserved just for the novelist? There are various forms of writing, and we explore several of those aspects. Perhaps most authors will...

Jennifer Hart joins Joyce Kaye Gatschenberger and me in the studio to talk about developing your brand as an author. Jennifer offers insight into what it takes as a self-published author to get you noticed and how to build a following. Branding is one of the most important aspects of promoting your work. Jennifer has created marketing campaigns for several companies. In addition, she is a self-published author. Therefore, she understands what it takes to create an audience from scratch....

Premier Show of The Common Thread Radio Show "The Power of Words" with Tonya Todd, Gretta Jones and Joyce Gatschenberger. Words can hurt or bring joy, depending on how we use them. Some words have transformed over the years to take on a different meaning from their origin. Many words started out as a positive and have taken on negative connotations. Others have morphed in the opposite direction. Nevertheless, we have the power to change words to compliment society instead of degrade. By...

Judith C. Owens-Lalude, Joyce Kaye Gatschenberger, Stephen Murray, Tonya Todd and I discuss diverse characters in this episode. How important is it to have diverse characters in your writing? When is it necessary? Is it necessary at all? More than ever, there is a shift in the dimensions of the characters in today's novels. The world is no longer black and white. We talk about why and when to use diverse characters. Do all novels need diverse characters, or does it depend on the theme? I...

In this episode, we will be discussing the power of writing a children's story. Judith, Joyce and I talk about how books can influence children at an early age. We discuss the responsibility and necessity for diversity when writing for today's adolescences. Judith and I highlight examples of what it was like for us during the writing process. We share how the market is changing when it comes to having characters of different races and colors in our stories. As technology advances, the world...

On this episode, we talk about a different ways to write as a group. Collaborative or group writing is becoming more and more popular.

British Author Christopher Lakin joins us from Great Britian, along with local Author Stephen Murray, and my co-host for the show Joyce Kaye Gatschenberger, to discuss international marketing of your book.We share ideas for getting your book in the hands of anyone and everyone around the world. Stephen shares his ideas for gaining a local interest in your work by approaching coffee shops, senior centers and more. Joyce and Christopher talk about how they use their websites and blogs to let...

Romay Cupido joins us from Helsinki, Finland to talk about the importance of pursuing your dreams. Originally, for Cape Town, South Africa, Romay left her home country at an early age. Along with her son, she set out to find herself as an author. Writing was always in the cards for her. Once she accomplished her dream of becoming a novelist, she turned that dream into becoming a bestselling writer. The lesson we talk about in this episode is that we have to not only dream, but he have to...

Mimi Emmanuel joins us from Australia to talk about creating a legacy. How we live our life is our legacy. As authors, what we write is our legacy. We cover all the elements of what it means to leave your impression on this world, for now, and always, no matter what path you choose in life. We also talk about book launching and promoting. Mimi is the author of numerous books, including Live Your Best Life and The Holy Grail of Book Launching. The Holy Grail of Book Launching is a...

Paul Joseph Fronczak joins us in the studio, along with his daughter Emma, to talk about his book "The Foundling". Paul chronicles his journey from a baby kidnapped from a Chicago hospital in 1964 to an abandoned boy police found two years later outside a variety store in New Jersey. The story made national headlines when it was determined the child was the missing baby. Eventually, Paul (at the time named Scott) was returned to the Fronczak's and raised as their own. Then, in 2012, out of...

Katrice Thomas shares with us her career ambitions in the comedy arena. Katrice moved to Las Vegas, Nevada from Detroit, Michigan to find a bigger venue for her comedy. We talk about where her material comes from. We also discuss what it is like to find yourself in the comedy circuit as an older comedian (not that she is old, just more seasoned).