Uncorking A Story

Andrew Peterson was born and raised in San Diego, California and graduated with a degree in architecture from the University of Oklahoma. After mentioning to his wife that he was disappointed in much of what he was reading, Andrew accepted her challenge to write something better and started down the roller coaster ride of becoming a published author. Andrew followed First to Kill, his debut thriller featuring Nathan McBride, with six additional McBride novels, the most recent having been released on July 3rd of this year. Listen in as we discuss Andrew’s perspectives on the industry, his writing process, and the similarities he sees between professional golfers and published authors. He freely shares some great advice for budding authors in this interview so stick with it until the end when he divulges what helped him most in his career, and what he wish he did much, much earlier when he started to write. You can learn more about Andrew Peterson and his books at https://www.andrewpeterson.com/ Learn more ab

Patricia Fuqua is the founder of Dating Diamonds, a service that empowers women to meet the right man the second time around and is the creator of the 1st Date to Soulmate Program. Since 2008, she’s helped over 500 women meet the right man by designing a personalized plan that she helps them implement. She’s polished the art of relationship in her 40-year marriage to her soulmate husband. Her clients can be found in major cities including Sydney, Washington D. C., Sacramento, and San Francisco.  She mentors women to use the story of their lives to create the relationship they choose the second time around. She holds coaching credentials from the Academy of Excellence as well as the Wanless Institute and is a certified Matchmaker with the Matchmakers Institute. Earlier this year her book Second Time Around: How to Date Your Right Man (2018) was published. Her first book, Manifesting Your Soulmate, was published in 2008. Both can be found on Amazon.com. You can reach out to Patricia by visiting her LinkedIn pr

Linwood Barclay is a former columnist for The Toronto Star and the author of several critically acclaimed novels including Too Close to Home and No Time for Goodbye, a #1 Sunday Times (UK) bestseller. He lives near Toronto with his wife. Listen up as Linwood and I talk about his early influences as a writer, how living in a trailer park and the loss of his father at sixteen has impacted his writing, and why detectives should always keep empty bottles in their cars while on stakeouts. Our interview concludes with some advice to budding authors including why, even in this age of independent publishing, agents are still critical to the business. He also imparts some wisdom on what to put in front of them to get their attention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christopher Ryan has always been a storyteller. Whether "ranking" on friends as a teen, covering street crime and dirty politics in The Bronx as an award-winning reporter, or teaching High School English, he serves the story above all else.   I recently chatted with Chris about his time as a journalist during New York City’s violent crack epidemic, his desire to become a police officer, and the decision that led him into the classroom and ultimately to his first published novel, City of Woe. Along the way we talk about his gumption as a high school student to call Marvel Comics and interview Stan Lee and how all of his experiences on the streets of New York City influence his writing. If there’s one thing I learned during this interview it’s that Christopher Ryan seeks to combine all of his loves to tell tales that question justice, faith, and the nature of good and evil. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hunter Shea is the product of a misspent childhood watching scary movies, reading forbidden books and wishing Bigfoot would walk past his house. He doesn’t just write about the paranormal – he actively seeks out the things that scare the hell out of people and experiences them for himself. Hunter’s novels can even be found on display at the International Cryptozoology Museum. His video podcast, Monster Men, is one of the most watched horror podcasts in the world. He’s a bestselling author of over 13 (lucky number!) books, all of them written with the express desire to quicken heartbeats and make spines tingle. Living with his wonderful family and two cats, he’s happy to be close enough to New York City to gobble down Gray’s Papaya hotdogs when the craving hits. I recently spoke with Hunter about his path to writing, his affection for all things gore, and the importance of getting people to care about characters. As he puts it, “If you don’t have characters people care about, who cares if the monster eats th

“They don’t hire girls into the FBI,” these were the words Tess Gerritsen heard from her guidance counselor after expressing an interest in the Federal Bureau of investigation. While that sentiment feels like a dark cloud that hovered over our culture during the time of Tess’ high school days, it’s one that has a silver lining considering she eventually went on to become an internationally acclaimed bestselling author. Tess’ path to writing, though, was not what you would call linear. Inspired by her appreciation of Nancy Drew novels, Tess had a dream of becoming a journalist at a young age, but her father, a Chinese immigrant, eschewed journalism as a career path and Tess eventually studied medicine, receiving her medical degree in 1979. While on maternity leave, Tess wrote a short story that won first prize in a fiction contest and this success planted the seed that she might be able to have a career as a writer. When she and her husband, also a doctor, found it challenging to both work full time as docto

Brian is a founding Partner of Anderson Porter Design and has developed a proven process of project delivery in the Cannabis Industry. To date, he has designed facilities for cultivation totaling over 150,000sf as well as 14 retail dispensaries. His path to this space, though, wasn’t what you might call linear. He grew up on a Christmas Tree farm in rural Connecticut, so I guess you could say that horticulture is in his blood (though he’s not a grower). After attending the Rhode Island School of Design for his undergraduate work and Harvard for graduate school, he went off to work in Europe where, in addition to making his bones in the architecture world, he did some stage acting. Upon his return back to the States, Brian challenged himself to work on a variety of projects before joining up with his brother and business partner to establish Anderson Porter Design. It was their experience working on a project for the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston that gave Anderson Porter the credentials in designing high s

Psychologist Gay Hendricks is counselor, writer, and teacher in the field of personal growth, relationships, and body intelligence. He’s best known for his work in relationship enhancement and is the founder of The Hendricks Institute, where he and his wife Katie conduct workshops focusing on what they call conscious loving. Together, they have written close to 40 books, trained thousands of coaches, appeared on Oprah, and have hosted seminars around the globe. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Hendricks about his career not only as a writer but also as an academic, counselor, and corporate trainer. Listen in as he speaks about the power of completion and why it’s so important to be honest and take responsibility for your actions both in the boardroom as well as in personal relationships. You’ll hear about his ah-ha moment when it became clear what he wanted to do with his life and how that led to his losing over one hundred pounds. Also, you’ll hear about how some of his fiction has been pick

Dr. Warren Farrell is the author of the just-published The Boy Crisis (with co-author John Gray). It exposes the boy crisis worldwide, as well as the causes and solutions that can be implemented by parents, schools and policy makers.  Dr. Farrell has been chosen by the Financial Times as one of the world’s top 100 thought leaders. His books are published in over 50 countries, and in 19 languages. They include two award-winning international best-sellers, Why Men Are the Way They Are plus The Myth of Male Power. Listen in as we discuss the biggest challenges facing boys today, why the role of an active father is critical in a boy’s life, and what can be done to address and reverse the trends we are seeing. He has two daughters, and lives with his wife in Mill Valley, California, and virtually at www.warrenfarrell.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Erin Boardman Wathen is a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and a Food Addiction Counselor (INFACT). She’s a Certified Spinning® Instructor (STAR 3), Vinyasa Yoga instructor (200 Hour) and Classical Pilates instructor. She’s also the author of Why Can’t I Stick to my Diet, a book that uses an addiction based model to help readers understand why diets are so hard to stick to and how to live the rest of their lives while not being on a diet (while still maintaining weight loss). Readers will uncover how to ditch the diet mentality for good by keeping to her specialized food plan and if that sounds overwhelming, have no fear - Erin provides the tools for combating any food obstacle. I caught up with Erin recently and we discussed what drove her to write this book and how she developed a unique approach to thinking about sugar as an addiction; albeit one that is more powerful than any other chemical addiction. You’ll hear her talk about the time she started her first diet in her early tee

Laurie Handlers is a Sex and Happiness Coach and the author of the Amazon #1 International Bestseller Sex & Happiness: The Tantric Laws of Intimacy. Through her company Butterfly Workshops, she offers sexual health and awareness courses plus leadership courses for corporations and individuals throughout the world. For over a decade, she’s hosted the weekly radio show Sex and Happiness where she discusses all topics about, you guessed it, sex. Laurie has also produced and starred in two independent films: “Beyond Dinner” and “Tantric Tourists.” Her current focus is on Sexual Ecstasy at Any Age and is currently writing a book called The Magic and Mastery of Sex and Happiness After Sixty. As an aside, I interview people for a living and I really love interviewing people who are experts in fields where I have next to no experience. Oftentimes when I lose a project, a client will tell me it’s because I didn’t have enough experience in their category or that someone on the team wanted to go with someone who they

Lou Aronica didn’t intend to be a writer; born on Elvis Presley’s birthday, Lou felt it was his destiny to be a rock star, but that all changed after a teacher encouraged him to develop an evident talent for writing. After graduating college with a degree in English, Lou planned on becoming a teacher, though a bad economy and a flood of talent competing for teaching jobs that simply weren’t there pushed him into the only other career well suited for an English major—publishing. After rising through the ranks in the publishing world, a window was opened when Lou's company was purchased by News Corp and the powers that be decided his services were no longer needed at the helm of Avon Books. Armed with some free time (and a golden parachute), Lou wrote what became his first novel, USA Today Best Seller The Forever Year. In addition to successful followup works of fiction, Lou has also penned non-fiction as well as helped develop other authors through his company The Fiction Studio. In this interview you’ll he

  Today is a big day for Uncorking a story because I get to share with you my conversation with Bruce Miller, the creator of Smart Alex - a new, better for you, snack food. I love talking to entrepreneurs because I’m always left feeling inspired by their stories; the drive and ability to put thought into action is a skill that few people have and I think it’s worth uncorking the stories of those who do so successfully. Bruce Miller, though, didn’t set out to be a snack food disruptor (whatever that is). At an early age, he demonstrated a talent in art and his parents encouraged that by enrolling 11-year-old Bruce in a painting class.  From there it was off to art school in New Haven for college and then onto jobs at smaller ad agencies in Connecticut and New York before landing at Jordan McGrath, Case, and Taylor where he worked under James Jordan as a copywriter. My mother always said that behind every great man is an even better woman and interwoven in this interview is a love story. After moving to Califor

Karen Rands is the founder and CEO of Kugarand Capital Holdings. She’s also the author of Inside Secrets to Angel Investing. Having my career in the mid 1990s during the dot com tech boom, I heard the term Angel Investing daily at least four times before lunch. Karen’s new book is geared towards teaching potential angel investors the ins and outs of growing their wealth through what she calls Compassionate Capitalism. Compassion isn’t something you ever hear alongside capitalism. If capitalism is all about survival of the fittest, there’s no room for what we might think as compassion when going head to head with competition. Karen bridges the divide between the terms by redefining compassion, which she believes is formed from the idea that entrepreneurs have passions for their ideas and build companies around them. Compassion, to her, is the creating of a company that is passionate about the potential to change the world. In Compassionate Capitalism, we have an environment where money makers enable others

Imagine going through basic training for the US Army as you approach the age of 40. It's a pretty hard thing to do at 18, but at 40 - come on it takes a special kind of person to raise his or her hand and say, "Bring it on," but that is just what Captain James P. Carlon of the US Army Reserve did just a few years ago. If that last name sounds familiar, it should - because it's my last name as well. Jim is my twin brother.  You might be wondering, why interview your twin? Don’t you know everything about him? Well, I’ll tell you why I wanted to talk to Jim and why you should listen – he’s got a great story. Ever since he was in law school, Jim wanted to join the Jag Corps and become a lawyer for the Army but because he was born with asthma, he could never pass the medical exam. But did he give up on his dream? No, he kept at it and finally got in right before the cutoff age of 40.   There’s another reason I wanted to talk to Jim, though. We were pretty inseparable growing up. I mean, we are twins – kind of b

John Seigel Boettner is a social studies teacher at Santa Barbara Middle School, but he’s not like one I ever had. It’s a special kind of person who can take middle school kids on a cross country bicycle trip across the United States and an even more special person who can do that through the Republic of Rwanda in central eastern Africa (Yes, that Rwanda). You see, John uses cycling and life experiences to teach his students lessons that they will never forget. In short, John is the kind of teacher you remember; the kind of teacher whose memory will hit you first as you think about the person you’ve become and consider how you got to that place. We don’t get many teachers like that in life but when we do, we should celebrate them. I met john at an industry conference this past January. Now, you may be saying to yourself, Mike, you are not a teacher, what kind of conference could you possibly have met john at? Well, our paths do cross, but it’s not where you might think. At Santa Barbara Middle School, John

I’ll admit it, I love a good story where the good guys win and Steve August is a good guy. I know this interview may be a bit “Inside Research” for you, but if you are looking to be inspired by the story of a guy who identified a need, built a technology to meet that need, and then sold his company to someone who saw the value in it then listen up! Steve is the founder of Revelation, a research technology company he sold to FocusVision – but he wasn’t always in the research business. In fact, before founding Revelation, he was never in the research business at all. He was a singer/songwriter making a living in clay animation, video documentaries, and even web mastering in the early days of the Internet as a commercial medium. Hell, before Revelation, Steve was in museum exhibit development and if that sounds interesting to you, wait to you hear it in Steve’s words! This episode of Uncorking a Story is brought to you by my book Uncorking a Murder. A detective short on time seeks to right a wrong in this "Ser

Wayne Lavender is the Executive Director of The Foundation 4 Orphans (F4O); an international organization dedicated to supporting the emotional, educational, physical and spiritual needs of orphans in some of the world’s most poor and war torn places. Listen in to hear Wayne discuss how reading books such as Death of a Salesman encouraged him to reflect on the kind of impact he wanted his own life to have in the world. Hear how his calling to the ministry at an early age led to his ordination as a Methodist minister in 1984 and eventually to his first trip to Mozambique, where he experienced extreme poverty first hand. Wayne recalls how seeing this with his own eyes “captured his heart” and encouraged him to rally the support of those back home to help the most vulnerable among us. After Mozambique, F4O established a presence in Iraq, where war has left countless thousands of children orphaned. Wayne discusses how he never felt safer than when amongst the Kurdish people who welcomed him – and other American

Shortly before her daughter was to begin kindergarten, Allison heard the words that no parent wants to hear – your daughter has cancer.  As treatments progressed, and hair was lost, her daughter Meredith was eager to find some item of clothing that would help her blend in with her peers; scarves called too much attention to her and hats didn’t do the trick. Enter the hoodie. Meredith found that wearing hoodies helped her feel more like a regular kid and they quickly became her favorite thing to wear. Inspired by what Toms Shoes was doing with footwear, Allison decided to create a “One for One” movement with hoodies. Today, for everyone who purchases a hoodie through BraveHoods, the company will donate one to a child going through cancer treatments or to the family members of that child because, as Allison points out, cancer is a family affair. In this interview, you will hear much more than how Allison started BraveHoods; you will hear about the kindness given by strangers during moments of intense anxiety

In the course of my job, I have had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people who have shared their stories with me (and my clients) over the past 20 years. Of course it is fair to say that some of these stories stand out more than others. About seven years ago, I found myself in Arizona interviewing professional athletes including Brian Roberts who played for the Baltimore Orioles and Dhani Jones who was a linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals. In addition to professional athletes, I was also interviewing high school athletes; who would have thought that my conversation with a high school athlete’s mother would be the one I remembered most from that project almost a decade ago? I was hired to interview a student named Zack when I engaged his mother, Jeryl, in some small talk. She told me she was from upstate NY and had recently moved to Phoenix but still owned some property in NY State.  I told her that my aunt and uncle owned a farm in Little Falls, NY and she told me that her property was in Bethel.