The Florida Writer Podcast

In this episode of the Florida Writer Podcast, Alison Nissen chats with David Ladensohn, a seasoned entrepreneur and author of a fascinating new book on an unexpected pairing: fly fishing and Leonardo da Vinci. David shares his journey from his Texas roots to summers spent in New Mexico, where his passion for fly fishing first took shape. His book offers a unique blend of stories, weaving together...

In this episode of the Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen chats with prolific writer and cartoonist Ryan Estrada about the art of comic book writing, including the importance of pacing, concise storytelling, and creative challenges. Ryan shares insights from his experience co-creating Banned Book Club with his wife, Kim Hyun Sook, and illustrator Ko Hyung-Ju, a graphic novel based on Kim's...

On this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen welcomes Kevin M. Hall . Wondering if his kids would remember their family stories, Kevin wrote a short story for them as a Christmas gift. His grandsons' reaction inspired him to write multiple books, blending history with memoir to capture the moments of his life in context with the world.   Kevin M. Hall joyfully adopts the titles of dad, grand...

In this episode of the Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen chats with author Andy N , who shares insights from his diverse writing journey. Andy has penned ten full-length novels, including Changing Carriages at Birmingham, New Street, a poignant love story, and a memoir detailing his struggles with diabetes. His debut novel, Birth, explores the life of a 16-year-old aspiring artist, set in...

On this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen chats with Marc Crail , a debut author in his seventies who began writing during the pandemic. His first book, Tales Out of School , draws from his experiences working in Amish country. Mark has since published three more books in the series, and a novel inspired by his mother-in-law's life. During the conversation, they explored the intersection...

Do you treat your book as a business? On this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen interviews Ella Ritchie , the founder of Stellar Communications, a company that specializes in non-fiction book publishing, marketing, and PR for self-publishing authors. There is so much that needs to happen to create a successful book launch. Ella offers 6 quick tips for marketing (and so much more) in this...

It's not uncommon for people to use their emotional journey to springboard their careers into authorship. Emily Hill is no exception. In this episode of the Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen and Emily chat about Emily's journey from social work and ministry to becoming a published author, discussing her self-publishing strategy and her personal writing process. Emily found the writing pro...

Alison Nissen and Cathy Fyock , the Biz Book Strategist, share a conversation about using books as a business strategy. Cathy explains that she works with professionals who want to write a book as a strategic move to establish themselves as thought leaders in their field. Covering the topics of crafting compelling book blurbs and author bios, benefits of self-publishing and hybrid publishing, and...

Lily Iona MacKenzie chats with Florida Writer Podcast Host Alison Nissen about her latest work, Dreaming Myself into Old Age . This hybrid memoir blends personal anecdotes with critical writing on topics such as poetry and art. Now, in her eighties, Lily is challenged by facing old age and all that comes with it. Determined to age gracefully and thoughtfully, she recognizes that working with one's...

Novelist and attorney Kyle Shoop chats with Florida Writer Podcast Host Alison Nissen about adding conflict and empathy to build characters. A number of his novels also include lyrics—as a singer and songwriter, he adds links to his books for the audience to hear the songs for that character. Instead of just reading the lyrics, Kyle recorded that song. You can click it and listen to it on YouTube...

Angie Elita Newell chats with Florida Writer Podcast Host Alison Nissen about the challenges of writing about Canada's Indigenous history, Angie's modern-day colonialism experience, the significance of stories from various cultures and religious texts, and the power of shared experiences expressed through storytelling.  As a trained historian, Angie's interest lies in the oral storytelling of her...

You might be surprised to know that surgical robots are used for over one million procedures every year. In this episode, Dr. Roger Smith chats with Florida Writer Podcast Host Alison Nissen about his medical thriller series on robotic surgeons in the year 2050 and his real-life work with surgical robots over the last ten years. His novels include an advanced AI character struggling to understand...

Florida Writer Podcast Host Alison Nissen chats with Edward DiGangi about his memoir, The Gift Best Given , a son's search and mother's journey , a timeless story of adoption, search, discovery, and reunion set against the backdrop of the glamorous ice skating shows of the 1940s. Edward shares how his hunt for clues about his adoption opened doors to a compelling story about his birth mother, who...

Florida Writer Podcast Host Alison Nissen chats with legal and financial thriller author Mark Shaiken. Writing a heart-racing legal and financial thriller has exhilarating consequences. Mark Shaiken draws on his 40-year career in law to create his fictional characters. In his latest novel, Cram Down, inspired by his volunteer work with marginalized individuals, Mark explores a company that builds...

Power, Greed, and Corruption in Washington, D.C. with Steve McGuire Steve McGuire , a retired Federal judge with a 32-year legal career in Washington, DC, joined Alison Nissen on the Florida Writer Podcast. Steve writes political thrillers inspired by his experiences in Washington. He believes that politics has always been about the same issues, but the influence of corporations and the ill-inform...

Insert comedy into any story by sticking to the truth but changing one part. In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen chats with Tim O'Leary about his strategy to write an entirely true story, except for inserting a fictional narrator. Tim O'Leary is a Pacific Northwest-based short story writer who has published two collections of short stories and a novel set to be released next year. H...

Meet Modello Brown ! On this Florida Writer Podcast Host Alison Nissen chats with the multi-media artist as he shares the evolution of Hip Hop Littles. W hat started with writing lyrics, Modello Brown turned his songs into life lessons by writing children's books. Today Modello is creating an immersive experience to build strong, emotionally resilient children. Hip Hop Littles' mission is to bring...

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 S...

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 archit...

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...

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 y...

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 tr...

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...

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 inte...

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....