The Florida Writer Podcast

Writers labor diligently on their works-in-progress. But when it comes to marketing, they often throw their hands up in the air and want to quit before their message is ever shared.

Naresh Vissa, founder and CEO of Krish Media & Marketing. and host Alison Nissen chat about ways two ideas authors need to know when marketing their books:

• Direct Marketing: Delivering a message to your email list with a call to action
• Direct Messaging: Sending a text message to your target audience with a call to action

Naresh is also generously offering a FREE copy of one of his books. Simply fill out the Contact Form and let him know you learned about it on the Florida Writer Podcast. Be sure to tell him your selection:

• FIFTY SHADES OF MARKETING: Whip Your Business Into Shape & Dominate Your Competition
• PODCASTNOMICS: The Book of Podcasting... To Make You Millions.
• FROM NOBODY TO BESTSELLING AUTHOR! How to Write, Publish & Market Your Book.

Naresh Vissa is Founder & CEO of Krish Media & Marketing, Publisher of Krish Publishing, and author of the #1 bestselling books FIFTY SHADES OF MARKETING: Whip Your Business Into Shape & Dominate Your Competition and PODCASTNOMICS: The Book of Podcasting... To Make You Millions.

His latest book is FROM NOBODY TO BESTSELLING AUTHOR! How to Write, Publish & Market Your Book talks about self-publishing from ideation and writing to publishing and marketing. It walks readers through, step-by-step, how they can produce a bestselling book. It's hit #1 in a category on Amazon.

Are you up-to-date on the latest genre termonology? In this week's Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen chats with Jeffray Harrison about Magical Realism, Fabulism, Low Fantasy, and High Fantasy. What's the difference? What do you need to know?

In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen asks Bryan Carrier about shifting genres from children's author to writing about a female boxer in the novel Rise Up! Against Domestic Violence, where the protagonist, a survivor of childhood domestic abuse, uses her boxing prowess to propel her to challenge the reigning world champion. Alison and Bryan discuss how the main character took over his plot to reveal her true motives.

A Cleveland, Ohio native, Bryan Carrier acted in leading Community Theatre roles before shifting to stage design and set building. He also wrote children's stories and historical pieces about the Vietnam Wall, Oklahoma City Bombing, and others.

Moving to Florida to escape the brutal Cleveland winters, he settled on the sunny beaches in the Tampa/Clearwater area. He has retired from the printing industry and lives with his wife and two dogs.

Bryan is the author of the children's books "Glasses for Wally," "Billie Bop's Robot, BeBop," "There's Something Fishy About My Fish," "Stinky Stella," "I Fired My Dog," and "Farty Marty."

Bryan's latest release is Rise Up! Against Domestic Violence, Books One and Two in this popular Rise Up series are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kindle.

Florida WritersCon is the premier gathering of Florida writers. Empower your writing at the 2023 Florida WritersCon! October 20-22, 2023 @ Hilton Orlando/Altamonte Springs

Asking "What If?" can drive your plot and characters into mysterious circumstances. In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen asks Dan Petrosini how he can create twists no one sees coming. From picking up the phone to call the local sheriff’s office and keeping notes on his computer to the old Moleskin notepads, Dan likes to keep his audience on the edge of their seats by asking "What If?"  

Dan is a USA Today and Amazon Best Seller who wrote his first story at the age of ten and enjoys telling a story or joke.

Dan gets his story ideas by exploring the question; What if?

In almost every situation he finds himself in, Dan starts exploring what if this or that happened? What if this person died, was hurt, or did something unusual or illegal?

Dan’s non-stop mind spin provides him with plenty of material to weave into interesting stories.

A fan of books and films that have twists and are difficult to predict, Dan crafts his stories to prevent the reader from guessing correctly. He writes each and every day, forcing the words out when necessary and has written over twenty novels to date. It’s not a matter of wanting to write, Dan simply has to.

Florida WritersCon is the premier gathering of Florida writers. Empower your writing at the 2023 Florida WritersCon! October 20-22, 2023 @ Hilton Orlando/Altamonte Springs

Writers are known for their struggle. We think of Poe and his addictions. Fitzgerald and his lust for romance. Or Hemmingway and his insistence of waking every day to write at least one sentence, fighting the demons that chased him. But we don’t talk much about neurodiverse writers. This week, host Alison Nissen chats with Loretta Lynne Finan about the gift of neurodiversity.

Loretta Lynne Finan is a neurodiverse writer from a long line of Irish-American yarn spinners. She lives in small town Florida with her musician husband where they spend their days puttering around with DIY home improvement projects and creating art for its own sake.

Read “Nothing But” at the Ekphrastic Review.

Sex sells. So does erotica. In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen chats with Dr. J. Donna Jennings, Ph.D., a retired sex therapist and author who not only writes in this lucrative field but coaches others on how to write quality, steamy romance. Need I say more?

Dr. J. Donna Jennings, Ph.D. (she, her) is a retired sex therapist and college human sexuality professor (FSU & TCC) now an author, and editor. In her 47 th year in the sexuality field, she continues her mission to empower others to embrace their sexuality holistically. Her fiction, nonfiction and editing projects embody this belief. She is an editor for Rosy, a sexual wellness platform for women. Dr. J. hosts two podcasts, The Sexuality Space and Purple Sex & Erotic Whims. Her latest book, Purple Sex & Love Beyond Your Dreams: A Women’s Journal to Explore Your Sexual Self from Orange Blossom Publishing is out on August 15, 2023. Charlotte the Pirate Queen will be out in Sexy Strangers with Cleis Press on September 12, 2023.

Poetry is a powerful medium for emotional exploration, self-discovery, and healing. Through writing or reading, the artistic expression of pain, growth, and resilience can be transformative and nurturing to the soul. In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen and poet Nylda Dieppa chat about how poetry helps her make sense of life’s complicated lessons.

Nylda Dieppa is a poet, writer, facilitator, mother of five, and grandmother of six. She started dreaming of changing the world when she discovered words. Learning to read at three years old, she’s loved literature and art since. Nylda was born in Indianapolis, IN, raised in Puerto Rico, and lives in Orlando, FL with a sweet pup called Canela. She has a Master’s in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University, New Orleans, a degree in Fashion Design from Fashion Institute of Technology, and postgraduate work towards a Ph.D. in Intercultural Theology.

Dieppa is the author of Alborada: A Poetic Memoir Across Cultures, which won a Royal Palms Award from the Florida Writers Association in 2015 and a 2016 International Latino Book Award for its cover illustration inspired by Nylda’s original pastel drawing. Orange Blossom Publishing published the second, enhanced edition in May 2023, under the new title Alborada: A Cross-Cultural Memoir in Poetry. Her work has been published in Cadence, “Of Poets and Writers,” “Somos en Escrito,” “La Respuesta,” and “America” magazines. She has read her work at various venues including The Ear Club, Medgar Evers College, and The Cornelia Street Cafe in New York City, the Polasek Museum in Winter Park, Florida, and Casa Aboy in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Nylda Dieppa is the Vice-President of the Florida Writers Foundation, a literacy-promoting nonprofit. She nurtures a community of creatives reawakening society through her website nyldadieppa.com and newsletter “Word Sketches.” Alborada: A Cross-Cultural Memoir in Poetry is available at Orange Blossom Books as well as on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Memoirs are tricky; you must first expose your life’s struggles on paper, then permit the audience to see your most vulnerable moments. Now, imagine doing that and sharing your story with your ten sisters’ stories of foster care, child abuse, separation, and reunion after 43 years. In this Florida Writer Podcast, Host Alison Nissen chats with Rev. Barbara Lane about the challenge of sharing all 11 stories.

Rev. Barbara Lane integrates her life experiences of being a foster child, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, entrepreneur, speaker, child advocate, educator, ministerial counselor, and author into her writing. By sharing her own personal journey, Barbara destigmatizes the fate of child abuse survivors, leading her to write her memoir Broken Water. In addition to her twenty-five year service in private practice as a ministerial counselor, Barbara’s educational background in human development, social sciences, and family psychology with a focus on child abuse, inspires her to share her expertise on interrelated issues: the family, family separation, the foster care system, attachment and bonding, child maltreatment, relationship formation, the resilience of the human spirit, healing from trauma, and the power found in having faith in something greater than the self. When not writing, you will find Barbara enjoying nature, reading, swimming, playing sports, and people watching. She especially enjoys spending time with her grandchildren. Barbara lives in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia with her husband, Jim, who remains her childhood sweetheart.

The search for spirituality and proof of reincarnations intertwine in this Florida Writer Podcast between host Alison Nissen and Lynn Demarest chat about Lynn’s book The Soul Gene. While the novel was written 10 years ago, with the advent of Artificial Intelligence, it’s more important than ever to ask yourself, is there a soul gene?

Lynn Demarest was a newspaper reporter in South Florida in the 1980s. He then became a computer programmer. The Soul Gene is his debut novel.

Experts say you should write in only one genre. But who are these experts and should we listen to them? In this Florida Writer Podcast, Mary Flynn and Host Alison Nissen chat about why tapping into and writing about all of our interests–regardless of the genre–makes us better (and happier!) writers.

Mary Flynn is an award-winning author of fiction and poetry, as well as a celebrated speaker. A highly diverse writer, Mary has medaled in nearly all of her genres. Her powerful debut novel, “Margaret Ferry,” won a gold medal in fiction, a silver medal in religion, and a silver medal in Christian writing. She is working on her third novel. Her Disney leadership book is also a silver medal winner.

A former full-time staff writer for Hallmark Cards, Mary’s observational humor has appeared in the Sunday New York Times, Newsday and other dailies and magazines. One of her award-winning short stories appears in the esteemed The Saturday Evening Post’s Anthology of Great Fiction. She was a winner in the Writer’s Digest poetry competition.

Mary was also a full-time writer and editor creating stories and comprehension exams for the leading publisher of guided reading materials used in the U.S. public school system.

During her fourteen years as an international conference speaker for Disney Institute, the second most recognized training brand in the world, Mary appeared before almost three-quarters-of-a-million people, often sharing a conference platform with names such as Malcolm Gladwell and Tony Robbins.

Mary has an on-air role as host on Salem Radio. Her books are available online and through bookstores, as well as through her website. Be sure to visit Mary at maryflynnwrites.com.

Want an inside look at the world of finance? Interested in earning massive amounts of money? As a mentor to those who wish to have 100M careers, Emmy Sobieski tells host Alison Nissen she entered the world of writing with the encouragement of her boss. She chose to turn her career experience as a top finance fund manager into something that could inspire others.

Emmy Sobieski, CFA, the author of $100M Careers, is currently COO of Performative Speaking and COO and co-founder of Competitive Storytelling, Inc. both of which help founders with world-class ideas share their stories to change the world.

Emmy previously co-managed the #1 ranked Nicholas | Applegate Global Technology Fund in 1999, up over 495%. Emmy’s institutional investing experience includes 25 years working for investment firms representing diverse strategies (aggressive growth, momentum, value), asset size (responsible for up to $6B in assets), and type (mutual funds, RIAs, insurance cos, hedge fund). Emmy is a manager and co-founder of GMR (developer of utility-grade Solar, Battery, and Wind farms), former co-founder, executive, and advisor to multiple funds and startups. Emmy is a regular panelist and keynote speaker on Web3, Privacy, Payments, ESG, and AI.

Emmy is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), and has a USC MBA and a BA in Economics from UCSD. Highlights of Emmy’s athletic accomplishments during the 25 years as an institutional investor include multiple national and global rankings in dressage, culminating in 2005 with a 9th place in the US trials for the World Cup Team, Silver in the 2017 US Masters Championships in the 100-meter and 400-meter dash (50-55 year old division), 2017 AAU North American Champion Women Overall Physique Division bodybuilding, all age groups). Emmy has placed in the top 3 in her age group in both marathons and ultramarathons. Learn more at www.emmysobieski.com

After a head injury, Drew Robinson decided to turn his stress and anxiety into a play. While he never published that one, it opened the door to discovering his creative side.

Host Alison Nissen chats with light and quirky author Andrew John Robinson, a transplanted New Englander, whose first novel, Lexa and the Gordian Maze of Terra, a children’s science-fiction work, and its sequel, Lexa and the Smugglers of Cyclo, both published by Amira Press. Many of his short stories are on www.grubstreet.ca. Dragonspeak: Drew, the Boy Who Talked to Dragons is his first children’s fantasy. It was a finalist in the 2010 RPLA Royal Palm Literary Award).

He was Regional Director of Central Florida for the Florida Writers’ Association, a non-profit group dedicated to helping writers, and president of Cricket Cottage Publishing, LLC, which he sold a few years ago. He now leads the Orlando Chapter of the group. Married, he has one daughter, which is why many of his stories revolve around strong and determined women. His time travel fantasy, Worst Date, Greatest Adventure, was published by Champagne Book Group and is similar to Outlander. The sequel, Worst Date, Greatest Challenge, is coming out this year, and he is working on the final book in the trilogy. Champagne also published his teen vampire adventure book, Vampire Academia, and he makes it clear that it is not like Twilight!

His screenplay Wiccans’ Lair was produced by PC Productions, an indie film company here in Central Florida, and he has a library of more than a dozen more running the gamut from family-friendly fantasy to rom-com and even musicals. He currently writes comedy skits for the group “The EGOs”, which are shown on YouTube and their streaming service ENV.

drwhoar@hotmail.com

Florida Writers Group

Florida Writer host Alison Nissen sits down with Nancy J. Cohen, author of 30 published works, including the cozy mystery series Bad Hair Day Mysteries. Nancy loves feedback from readers and her favorite question is when will the next book be published. Fortunately for her fans, Star Tangled Murder has just been released.

Nancy advises anyone interested in jumping into the cozy mystery market should have an amateur sleuth who lives in a distinctive location and a cast of recurring characters.

Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have been named Best Cozy Mystery by Suspense Magazine, won the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and the RONE Award, placed first in the Chanticleer International Book Awards and third in the Arizona Literary Awards.

What is ChatGPT? How is Artificial Intelligence changing the way authors approach writing? Are you curious about how AI works or how it might affect the writing world? In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen chats with Florida Writers Association Marketing chair and Board Member Ginnye Cubel about how technology impacts writing and the business of writing. 

Ginnye Lynn Cubel is a writer, marketer and coffee enthusiast located in Orlando, Florida.

She has a BA in Creative Writing from Butler University and over eight years of corporate and small business marketing experience with a focus on content, product, and email strategy. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Florida Writers Association and is the Marketing Chair.

Master flash fiction to add another layer to your novel writing. Florida Writer Podcast guest Tara Masih and host Alison Nissen talk about how flash fiction requires authors to choose their words wisely, ultimately helping you get the scenes right.

Tara Lynn Masih is a National Jewish Book Award Finalist and winner of the Julia Ward Howe Award for Young Readers for her debut historical novel My Real Name Is Hanna. She received a finalist fiction grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, an Inspirational Woman in Literature Award, and several national book awards including an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award. How We Disappear: Novella & Stories, her latest collection, was a MILLIONS Most Anticipated Book for 2022 and called “exceptional” by Southern Literary Review.

Paranormal researcher and investigator John Russell talks with host Alison Nissen about his foray into nonfiction writing and how we can all use our muse to keep our (nonfiction) writing entertaining. 

John Russell is a Psychic/Psychic Reader, a Medium, a Certified T.A.R.O.T. Master, a Paranormal Investigator, and now a published Author. Internationally known, he has provided psychic readings for clients in over 40 countries.

For over 15 years, he has been a popular featured guest, heard worldwide, on many radio shows and podcasts, including Coast to Coast AM with George Noory; The Unexplained with Howard Hughes (UK); Beyond Reality with JV Johnson; The Leak Project with Rex Bear; FATE Magazine Radio with Kat Hobson; Beyond the Darkness with David Schrader of TV's The Holzer Files; The Singularity Lab with Michael Mataluni; and many more.

In September of 2020 John released his first book, “Riding with Ghosts, Angels, and the Spirits of the Dead,” which has become an award-winning multicategory best seller, winning a Silver Award from the Non-Fiction Authors Association as well as a Bronze Medal from the Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards Contest.

In February of 2021, John released his second book, “A Knock in the Attic,” which has also become an award-winning multicategory best seller, winning a Gold Award from the Non-Fiction Authors Association.

Keeping track of plotlines, timelines, characters, and the thousand other things authors balance while writing a manuscript does need to be chaiotic. It needs a system. In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen chats with Mark Shaiken about how he syncs his ideas morning, noon, and night (including 2:00AM!).

Mark Shaiken retired from his law practice in 2019 and authored: “And . . .Just Like That: Essays on a life before during and after the law” - a poignant and funny memoir of a not-famous lawyer tracing his unlikely  path into and out of the profession to begin his “afterlife.” He then created his legal thriller series, each book steeped with history and music, and starring his star lawyer, Josephina Jillian Jones (3J) and her mentor, William Pascale. He just released his latest in the series, Unfair Discrimination.

Florida Writer Podcast host Alison Nissen chats with historical mystery author DL Havlin about how he leads his audience on a journey with breadcrumbs to create his plot--beginning with the ending and working backward. 

DL Havlin is an unretired businessman who has traveled a large portion of the world, having
visited over 100 countries. In his travels, he has discovered that humans have very similar appearances, but their cultures make them as distinct as visitors from another planet.

He’s been writing for 30+ years. DL writes historical, literary, women’s mainstream, and suspense/mystery novels. He has ten books published. The latest is “The Grave With Greener Grass”, following “Turtle Point” and "Out Of Italy", the Iron Lady mystery/suspense series.

Former marketer turned memoirist Julie Ryan McGue suggests fine-tuning your marketing plan with curiosity, book club connections, and immersing yourself with your niche audience on this Florida Writer Podcast with host Alison Nissen. 

JULIE RYAN Mc GUE is an American writer. Her award-winning memoir, Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging released in May 2021. It is about the five-year search that she and her twin sister undertook to find their birth relatives. On her weekly blog, “That Girl This Life,” Julie writes about finding out who you are, where you come from, and making sense of it. Her work has appeared in the Story Circle Network Journal, Brevity, Imprint, Adoption.com, Lifetime Adoption, Adoption & Beyond, and Severance Magazine. Personal essays appear in several anthologies: REAL WOMEN WRITE: Seeing Through Her Eyes, and Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis.

Julie holds a B.A. in Psychology from Indiana University, and a M. M. in Marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business, Northwestern University. She splits her time between NW Indiana and Sarasota, Florida. Julie is currently working on a second memoir and a collection of personal essays. She serves on the Board of Directors for The Center for American Family Building.