The Florida Writer Podcast

Enjoy this Florida Writer Podcast interview with Host Alison Nissen and Susan Shapiro Barash, who writes under the pen name Susannah Marren. Susan shared about their career as a nonfiction author, having published 13 books on gender studies and women's societal roles. They also mentioned their teaching experience in the writing department at Mary Mount Manhattan College for over 20 years.

Susan Shapiro Barash has written over a dozen nonfiction books, including Tripping the Prom Queen, You’re Grounded Forever, But First Let’s Go Shopping and A Passion for More: Affairs that Make or Break Us. For more than twenty years she taught gender studies in the Writing Department at Marymount Manhattan College and has guest taught creative nonfiction at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. For her fiction, Between the Tides, A Palm Beach Wife, A Palm Beach Scandal, and Maribelle’s Shadow.

She has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Elle, Marie Claire, and has appeared on national television including the Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS, CNN, and MSNBC. Barash has been a guest on national radio including NPR and Sirius Radio. Speaking appearances include Credit Suisse, Bayer Diagnostics, UBS, United Way, Kravis Center and the Society of the Four Arts. Several of her titles have been optioned by Lifetime and HBO.

She has served as a literary panelist for the New York State Council on the Arts, as a judge for the International Emmys, and as Vice Chair of the Mentoring Committee of the Women’s Leadership Board at the JFK School of Government, Harvard.

Florida Writers Association embraces the diversity of its membership from across the state of Florida, the nation, and the globe. We celebrate our differences and are united in our shared love for the written and spoken word.

We strive to provide a professional atmosphere, a vast networking system, and valuable tools to help members succeed in their writing careers. Our motto of "Writers Helping Writers" is demonstrated by our volunteers in Florida and beyond.

Check out this Florida Writer podcast as host Alison Nissen sits down with Zachary Solomon to discuss Zachary’s debut novel, A Brutal Design. The novel, set in an experimental Socialist city, explores the themes of fascism and how it can be disguised as modernism or humanism. The title also refers to the architectural style of brutalism, which is central to the story as the protagonist, an architecture student, is fascinated by it.

Zachary C. Solomon is from Miami, Florida. He received an MFA from Brooklyn College, where he was a Truman Capote fellow. He lives with his wife, the novelist Mandy Berman, and their two children in New York’s Hudson Valley. A BRUTAL DESIGN is his first novel.

Florida Writers Association embraces the diversity of its membership from across the state of Florida, the nation, and the globe. We celebrate our differences and are united in our shared love for the written and spoken word.

We strive to provide a professional atmosphere, a vast networking system, and valuable tools to help members succeed in their writing careers. Our motto of “Writers Helping Writers” is demonstrated by our volunteers in Florida and beyond.

How can you become more attuned to your intuition? Have you ever wondered if you can train yourself to receive psychic messages? John Russell, a professional psychic and paranormal investigator, discusses his writing journey, his latest non-fiction book about enhancing psychic abilities, and the practice of psychometry with Florida Writer Podcast Host Alison Nissen. He and Alison chat about his book 20 Ways to Increase Your Psychic Abilities and how these techniques could benefit writers.

John Russell is an internationally known professional psychic and medium. As a paranormal investigator, he has experienced over 1,000 physical supernatural manifestations. He has provided psychic readings for clients in over 40 countries. He is a popular featured guest on radio shows and podcasts, including multiple appearances on Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, and filmed a TV pilot for The History Channel in which he psychically explored the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

Florida Writers Association embraces the diversity of its membership from across the state of Florida, the nation, and the globe. We celebrate our differences and are united in our shared love for the written and spoken word.

We strive to provide a professional atmosphere, a vast networking system, and valuable tools to help members succeed in their writing careers. Our motto of “Writers Helping Writers” is demonstrated by our volunteers in Florida and beyond.

Do you read your work aloud in front of an audience? In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen sits down with Joyce Wagner to talk about public speaking. Joyce helps authors overcome their fear of public speaking with a simple philosophy: Put your audience first. The fear of freezing or making a mistake often stops people from elevating their potential book sales. Instead of focusing on yourself, treat your writing as a career—you are an employee, and your audience is your employer. Make your boss proud!

 Joyce Wagner presents a workshop for writers, Reading Your Work Before an Audience. Her degree is in Speech and Performing Arts from Northeastern Illinois University and she was a founding member of the award-winning Pegasus Players in Chicago. As a writer, she has cross-trained in many genres, including short story, novel, journalism, playwriting and humor. Her novel, The French Tenor, won the gold medal for unpublished historical fiction in the 2020 Royal Palm Literary Awards.  She currently lives in Gulfport with her dog, Rufus.

Florida Writers Association embraces the diversity of its membership from across the state of Florida, the nation, and the globe. We celebrate our differences and are united in our shared love for the written and spoken word.

We strive to provide a professional atmosphere, a vast networking system, and valuable tools to help members succeed in their writing careers. Our motto of “Writers Helping Writers” is demonstrated by our volunteers in Florida and beyond.

In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen chats with Kristy Smeriglio about using "The Garden of Earthly Delights" painting to create a psychological exploration of the human experience for her debut novel Falling into Fire. 

With a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Arts in Writing, Kristy merges two disciplines and realms of knowledge that are integral to the formation and transformation of the mind. The mind, to Kristy, is our ultimate power, along with our hearts. Connect the two and we propel forward immensely.

The Florida Writers Podcast is a production of the Florida Writers Association. Founded in 2001, Florida Writers Association (FWA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit dedicated to supporting aspiring and professional writers in any genre. FWA embraces the diversity of its membership from across the state of Florida, the nation, and the globe. We celebrate our differences and are united in our shared love for the written and spoken word. We strive to provide a professional atmosphere, a vast networking system, and valuable tools to help members succeed in their writing careers. Our motto of “Writers Helping Writers” is demonstrated by our volunteers in Florida and beyond.

Scott Davis Hendrix shared his writing process and experiences with Florida Writer Podcast host Alison Nissen. He emphasized the importance of marinating the story in his mind before writing and discussed his journey of writing a book that started as a thought 30 years ago. Scott's first novel The Garden Spot was published in April 2022 and has been listed in the top 10 reads in Mississippi. His upcoming third novel will explore themes of abuse, family dynamics, and personal growth.

Scott Davis Hendrix is the author of two novels, The Garden Spot and its sequel, The Resting Spot. He is a lifelong resident of Mississippi.

The Florida Writers Podcast is a production of the Florida Writers Association. Founded in 2001, Florida Writers Association (FWA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit dedicated to supporting aspiring and professional writers in any genre. FWA embraces the diversity of its membership from across the state of Florida, the nation, and the globe. We celebrate our differences and are united in our shared love for the written and spoken word. We strive to provide a professional atmosphere, a vast networking system, and valuable tools to help members succeed in their writing careers. Our motto of “Writers Helping Writers” is demonstrated by our volunteers in Florida and beyond.

Imagine you are in a room of the best in your genre, ask these experts advice on what keeps you stuck. In this Florida Writer Podcast, renowned hypnotherapist Victoria Gallagher chats with host Alison Nissen about overcoming writers block and creating a best-selling mindset.

Reframe how you think about your Work-in-Progress: Ditch the fear, doubt, and stress, focus on the positive, trust your internal guidance to act. When we come from a feeling of inspiration, not a feeling of desperation, we can overcome the things that hold us back.

Victoria M. Gallagher is a worldwide leader in Hypnotherapy, a best-selling author, international speaker, life success coach, and renowned authority on the Law of Attraction.  She has dedicated her life to empowering people all over the world to successfully live a life of liberty, aligned with their dreams through her effective meditative recordings and online courses. Through her podcast, The Power of Your Mind, she exudes her passion for inspiring listeners with influential guests in the areas of self-development, mindset, discipline & habits, entrepreneurship, wealth and relationships.

The Florida Writers Podcast is a production of the Florida Writers Association. Founded in 2001, Florida Writers Association (FWA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit dedicated to supporting aspiring and professional writers in any genre. FWA embraces the diversity of its membership from across the state of Florida, the nation, and the globe. We celebrate our differences and are united in our shared love for the written and spoken word. We strive to provide a professional atmosphere, a vast networking system, and valuable tools to help members succeed in their writing careers. Our motto of “Writers Helping Writers” is demonstrated by our volunteers in Florida and beyond.

Heather Leigh, PhD, a paranormal researcher and writer, discussed her journey and work on the Florida Writer Podcast with host Alison Nissen. Heather shared that her experiences with paranormal activity led her to write nonfiction books about her encounters and the history of various locations. She highlighted the importance of collecting data and using scientific tools for paranormal research. Heather also shared how writers can become involved in documentaries and films.

 Heather Leigh started her journey in the paranormal field as a teenager after multiple interactions with her grandfather, who passed away many years prior. Throughout the years following, she has researched and traveled to locations to learn more about the history and paranormal claims and attempt to link the two. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Metaphysical Humanistic Science, specializing in Paranormal Science from the Institute of Metaphysical and Humanistic Science. She is a Certified Paranormal Investigator (CPI) and Certified EVP Technician (CET). Her goal is to help others take a more scientific approach to paranormal investigations and research and help everyone keep an open mind that anything in this field is possible but not always supernatural.

Heather Leigh is the founder of Exploration Paranormal, based in Southwest-Central Florida. She is a member of the International Paranormal Bureau of Investigations and Research (IBPIR) and a member of ParaNexus Anomalous Research Association. She is the Chief Administrative Officer for The Warren Legacy Foundation for Paranormal Research.

Heather Leigh is the author of Ghosts of Southern Nevada Ghost Towns, part of the Haunted America series from The History Press (release date August 22, 2022). She is writing two more books for the Haunted America series - Haunted Florida Lighthouses and Legends, Lore, and Ghosts of the Vegas Valley - to be released in Fall 2023. Additionally, she is an author of many articles and a lecturer about all things paranormal.

She hosts Exploring the Paranormal Vodcast on Facebook, YouTube, Parapost Network, and Paralanx TV (Formerly PUN TV).

Heather Leigh is also the co-host of Ghost Education 101 and The Warren Files, which also air on Facebook, YouTube, Parapost Network, and Paralanx TV. She also contributes content to Touch of Magick, a magick and paranormal podcast, and teaches classes and offers Shamanic Life Coaching through iMystic University.

Heather Leigh's paranormal team - Exploration Paranormal - was featured in Real Haunts: Ghost Towns and Real Haunts 3 (coming fall of 2022), both by Motion Picture Video.

The Florida Writers Podcast is a production of the Florida Writers Association. Founded in 2001, Florida Writers Association (FWA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit dedicated to supporting aspiring and professional writers in any genre. FWA embraces the diversity of its membership from across the state of Florida, the nation, and the globe. We celebrate our differences and are united in our shared love for the written and spoken word. We strive to provide a professional atmosphere, a vast networking system, and valuable tools to help members succeed in their writing careers. Our motto of “Writers Helping Writers” is demonstrated by our volunteers in Florida and beyond.

If you had 10x the book marketing budget you have now, what would you spend it on? On this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen chats with Karina Kantas, author of 15 books and 16 International Film Festival Awards for documentary and book trailers, and discusses her company, Author Assist. Frustrated with the steep learning curve of becoming a first-time author, Karina started Author Assist to provide writers with a safe path to authorship.  

Author Assist Ltd. uses a team of professionals who offer authors exclusive packages in media promotion, coaching and mentoring, and publishing. They offer guidance to help authors discover a safe route through their publishing journey, give visibility to their books, and get the book up the bestseller charts. 

The Florida Writers Podcast is a production of the Florida Writers Association. Founded in 2001, Florida Writers Association (FWA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit dedicated to supporting aspiring and professional writers in any genre. FWA embraces the diversity of its membership from across the state of Florida, the nation, and the globe. We celebrate our differences and are united in our shared love for the written and spoken word. We strive to provide a professional atmosphere, a vast networking system, and valuable tools to help members succeed in their writing careers. Our motto of “Writers Helping Writers” is demonstrated by our volunteers in Florida and beyond.

What is your credibility quotient with your audience? In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen chats with Michell Levy, a 2x TEDx speaker and international bestseller of over 60 books, about how authors can create a platform that connects with their target audience while promoting credibility, trust, and reliability.

Mitchell Levy is Global Credibility Expert. After interviewing 500 thought leaders on credibility, he published a 7-country international bestselling book, delivered a powerful TEDx on humanity, created courses, and created the Credibility Nation membership community to help those live, learn and surround themselves with others on the credibility journey.

He's an accomplished Entrepreneur who has created twenty businesses in Silicon Valley including four publishing companies that have published over 750 books. He's provided strategic consulting to hundreds of companies and has been the chairman of a board of a NASDAQ-listed company. Mitchell has been happily married for thirty-one years and prior to covid-19, regularly spent four weeks a year in Europe with family and friends.

The Florida Writers Podcast is a production of the Florida Writers Association. Founded in 2001, Florida Writers Association (FWA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit dedicated to supporting aspiring and professional writers in any genre. FWA embraces the diversity of its membership from across the state of Florida, the nation, and the globe. We celebrate our differences and are united in our shared love for the written and spoken word. We strive to provide a professional atmosphere, a vast networking system, and valuable tools to help members succeed in their writing careers. Our motto of “Writers Helping Writers” is demonstrated by our volunteers in Florida and beyond.

Curious about the mind of a Royal Palm Literary Award judge? In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen and Chet Meisner chat about things that make a winning entry. Chet explains that the audience needs to know how characters feel. What experience did that have and what keeps them going? If your protagonist is sad, what type of sad are they? Show us what's in their head!  

Chet Meisner calls himself a geographical mutt. Born in Wisconsin, raised in South Florida, lived briefly in Alabama, he moved back to Miami, met, and married Peri and relocated to Atlanta where we spent two and a half decades and raised three wonderful children. After ten years in Tampa, he’s now living in North Carolina.

Chet is a traditionally published author and playwright, advertising copywriter, database and data mining expert, AI enthusiast. He is a five-time RPLA Writing Competition judge, and has been awarded multiple writing recognitions.

His latest book D.I.T.T.O. is a 2019 RPLA winner and available on Amazon.

The Florida Writers Podcast is a production of the Florida Writers Association. Founded in 2001, Florida Writers Association (FWA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit dedicated to supporting aspiring and professional writers in any genre. FWA embraces the diversity of its membership from across the state of Florida, the nation, and the globe. We celebrate our differences and are united in our shared love for the written and spoken word. We strive to provide a professional atmosphere, a vast networking system, and valuable tools to help members succeed in their writing careers. Our motto of “Writers Helping Writers” is demonstrated by our volunteers in Florida and beyond.

Enjoy this inspirational Florida Writers Podcast as host Alison Nissen chats with J.L. Buck Martinez, President of ACE Leadership Group, a company dedicated to inspiring and developing men and women to achieve their highest potential. Buck may have started his career as an inspirational speaker, connecting with well over 50,000 student athletes, but when he set his sights on writing about Purpose, Passion, and Conviction he put his program to personal use. As writers, we can appreciate that when we face hurdles, we have a choice to go over them or around them—but if we let them stop us, we won’t succeed.

Through ACE Leadership Group, Buck focuses on developing the character, honor and integrity of his clients. Buck is passionate about working with organizations to develop their leadership skills. He serves as life coach and executive coach to individuals in many different roles from corporate executives to professional athletes. Some of his clients include, FPL, Advanced Roofing, Athletic Coaches at all levels, Moss Construction, Keiser University, Bolay, St. Thomas University and others.

Throughout his thirty plus years as an executive in the energy industry, Buck helped mentor numerous employees and served on multiple boards throughout the state. He also serves as President and Co-Founder of a not-for-profit organization, Student ACES, dedicated to inspiring high school and college student athletes to be men and women of honor, character and integrity. Buck is passionate about investing in our youth and works countless hours serving in the capacity of teacher, mentor and coach. Since he co-founded Student ACES with his daughter, Krissy Webb. Buck has trained over 50,000 student athletes throughout Florida.

The Florida Writers Podcast is a production of the Florida Writers Association. Founded in 2001, Florida Writers Association (FWA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit dedicated to supporting aspiring and professional writers in any genre. FWA embraces the diversity of its membership from across the state of Florida, the nation, and the globe. We celebrate our differences and are united in our shared love for the written and spoken word. We strive to provide a professional atmosphere, a vast networking system, and valuable tools to help members succeed in their writing careers. Our motto of “Writers Helping Writers” is demonstrated by our volunteers in Florida and beyond.

In this Florida Writer Podcast, we welcome founder of Everyday by the Lake Laura Gariepy who shares with host Alison Nissen her strategies to be a successful freelance writer.

1.    Have a clear understanding of your Why. Know the reason you wish to be a full-time freelancer.

2.    Begin networking as early as possible. Continually build relationships in your genre—they aren’t competitors, they are collaborators.

3.    Create a website to showcase your expertise and your writing skills. 

4.    Find guest blog posts to cast a wider net.

5.    Don’t write for free for long. Your time is worth it. Start small and increase the price per word over time.  

Laura Gariepy started writing about personal finance in early 2018 when she took a sabbatical from her career in human resources and launched a blog sharing her journey. She realized she could earn a location and schedule-independent living as a freelance writer, so she soon went all-in on self-employment. Laura loves to write about managing your money, navigating your career, and running a successful business. Her work has been featured in Fortune, USA Today, The New York Post, and many other publications. She has also earned an MBA and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology.

The Florida Writers Association strives to provide a professional atmosphere, a vast networking system, and valuable tools to help members succeed in their writing careers. Our motto of “Writers Helping Writers” is demonstrated by our volunteers in Florida and beyond.

The life of a firefighter is not for the faint of heart.  In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen talks with retired Fire Captain Cindie Schooner-Ball about her book Sister in a Brotherhood, Stories from My Life as a Female Firefighter. Cindie shares her journey from first responder to award-winning author and the challenges she experienced as both a firefighter and a new author.

Cindie Schooner-Ball began her career as a first responder with the fire service in the mid-80s. She recognized early on that to succeed as both a firefighter and a woman in a mostly male workplace would require perseverance, grit, and the ability to command respect.

Over her three-decade career, she pushed herself to tackle new challenges and rise into leadership positions. She became an EMT and then a paramedic, while also earning a degree in fire science. When she finally achieved the rank of captain, she was the only woman at the induction ceremony.

Now retired, she loves speaking to people about her experiences as a first responder and as a woman in a male-dominated industry. She lives with her husband Mark, and her German shepherd, Chewie, in Florida.

Did you know that only 1% of LinkedIn users create content, and they get 9 billion impressions a week? In this Florida Writer Podcast, Host Alison Nissen chats with LinkedIn Content Creator Kathryn Montbriand about how writers can make LinkedIn work for them.

Kathryn Montbriand is a former Fortune 500 leader who took a career sabbatical after 10 years at a large financial institution. During this reset, she rediscovered her love for writing (it became quite clear when she noticed the hundreds of pages of reflection and journaling she had accrued).

She has a knack for making the complex simple and pulls that thread through all the creative work she does: creating leadership content, helping people refine their career stories, and even writing a book about the transition from the corporate world to the next thing. 

One of her preferred places to write these days is on LinkedIn - and she is here to share with us some of her lessons learned while finding her ‘business' writing style and growing engagement on the platform.

What is your preferred social media platform? Discover why LinkedIn could be the place for you!

Co-Host of the Wild Women Who Write Take Flight Podcast, Gaby Anderson has released her debut novel. South of Happily goes beyond the usual themes of marriage, divorce, and family history. She gets down to the heart of who is Katy Kiss, an astute young woman caught in the maelstrom of betrayal, grief and self-doubt. In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen chats with Gaby about her journey of coming of awareness for both the character and author.

Gaby Anderson is a first generation Hungarian-Canadian, born in Montreal, Quebec. When she was a year old, her family moved to New Jersey, then Paris, back to Canada, and finally to the U.S. where she's lived ever since.

She's married to one of her best friends from college, has two amazing daughters, and many (many) animals from the local shelters. 

Her first memory of writing is from elementary school. After getting into a fight with a friend, she composed a story about turning her into a potato. Eventually the two made up, but the spark was lit, and a writer was born.

Gaby has worked in the restaurant industry, commercial and group travel, private aviation, and pharmaceutical instrumentation. She currently works in behavioral health management.

Her husband calls her a Renaissance Woman with mad-skills.

This means she can catch a softball with one hand while holding a giant turkey leg with the other.

Story collector Dr. Paul Thornton joins host Alison Nissen on the Florida Writer Podcast to chat about his writing journey and favorite pastime, cruising. He collects other people's stories and shares them in his The Joy of Cruising Trilogy.

He explains that at age 58, during an impromptu speech, he noticed the burden of his “harrowing brush with death, journey of recovery from trauma, resilience and ultimately transformation” was lifting, and his provocatively titled memoir White Man’s Disease was born.

Paul’s memoir is described as “Gripping and inspiring” and won the North Street Book Prize. He followed that up with a trilogy of creative nonfiction cruise books. Despite their very different subjects, at the heart of White Man’s Disease and The Joy of Cruising Trilogy is passion and how passionate people do wondrous things. He now shares his love with others in The Joy of Cruising Podcast.

Professional Behavioral Analyst and business consultant Steve Gavatorta shares tips on how to finish plan and finish your manuscript. In this Florida Writer Podcast host Alison Nissen chats with Steve about writing and marketing and the importance of embracing your work’s title.

Steve Gavatorta, owner of the Steve Gavatorta Group, specializes in empowering individuals and organizations in identifying, developing, and exceeding performance goals. Steve’s had the privilege of coaching and training thousands of high performers across an array of industries. From small businesses on the move to Fortune 500 companies, Steve collaborates with organizations to build foundations, set goals, and eclipse their highest potential.

Steve is a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst (CPBA) and Certified Professional Values Analyst (CPVA), a certified Myers-Briggs practitioner, and accredited to coach and train for Emotional Intelligence (EQ). He is a two-time published author, and his new book In Defense of Adversity: Turning Your Toughest Challenges Into Your Greatest Success won Richter Publishing’s Amazon Best Seller Award for 2018.

Lana McAra has discovered how to market her books with impact by embedding her life’s purpose into her stories in subtle ways—and sell books at the same time. In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen chats with Lana on how you, too, can use her technique to create a bond with audiences to sell more books and make an impact by asking “what do I love” and “how can I help?”   

Lana McAra is an award-winning, international best-selling author and ghostwriter of 43 titles through traditional publishing with a million books sold. She won The Christy Award for her historical novel Reaping the Whirlwind and her mystery series, Colorado, sold more than 250,000 copies. She has been teaching how to write fiction for 20 years.

Jamie Blaine and Vicky Lanzone became friends after Vicky signed up for an online marriage support site. The story unfolds when, late one night, Vicky writes that the weight is too heavy and each day is a battle to survive. She admits there are pills and the note is written.

Jamie replies: Instead of ending your life, why not try changing it first? What do you really have to lose?

Florida Writer Podcast host Alison Nissen chats with Jamie and Vicky about their woven memoir about finding hope in strange places.