The Danny and Park Novels Good News Podcast

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is singer and songwriter, Emily Roig. Emily and I crossed paths when she tagged me in an Instagram post about a song she’d written about a Richmond police officer. I reached out to her and asked if she’d like to be a guest on an episode and she agreed, so here she is.   I know I say it all the time when I interview singer-songwriters, bu...

Today’s guest it Johnnie Calloway. Johnnie’s YouTube page showed up in my feed one day, so I checked him out. I was hooked after listening to him for probably less than two minutes. His contact information was on his page, so I emailed him and asked him if he’d like to be a guest on the podcast. He replied and wrote, “Positivity is contagious”, then he agreed to come on the show. So here he is. I...

     Today’s guest is former Richmond Police dispatcher Demetria Ross. Ms. Ross was a dispatcher with the City of Richmond for fifteen years, and was a Petersburg dispatcher for four years before that. Ms. Ross and I talk about the incident that sent her down the dispatcher path, as well as various significant events that occurred while she was a Richmond dispatcher.       Whenever I called commun...

 Today’s guest is Vee, from VeeTellsTales on Instagram. I came across Vee’s page and was immediately fascinated by the artwork on the cover on her books as well as her photos. I reached out to her to see if she’d be interested in doing a podcast episode and she agreed, so here she is.  I’m always in awe of authors who manage to put together such a complex and wonderful universe in their mind, then...

 Today’s guest is musician Kari Smith. Kari writes, produces, and sings her own music. Oh yeah, she also plays the guitar, piano and is bilingual. Kari talks to me about growing up in Richmond, planning a trip to Austin, then winding up in Nashville for a decade.  How many folks out there have the courage to pack everything up, move to another state and follow a dream?  Kari’s got lots of guts and...

Today’s guest is Bri Stokes, a poet I came across on Instagram. Bri’s page fascinated me because of the artwork that she uses as the background for her poetry. I reached out to her and asked if she’d be willing to come on the podcast and talk about the art, her poetry and her outlook on life. Luckily, she agreed and here she is.  After you listen to our conversation, you have to go and check out h...

Today’s guests are Dr. Denise Gorondy Toderico and her husband, Ben Toderico. Denise is an equine veterinarian and Ben is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and former Richmond Police officer. Back in 2016, their lives changed drastically when Denise was  struck by a car while on a run in Hanover County. The driver of the car didn’t stop to help, but a bicyclist did.   With all the d...

 Today’s guest is Renee Richardson. Renee reached out to me and asked if she could come on the podcast and speak about the love she has for her husband, his recent death and how she’s coping with it.   If you were given the opportunity and control to choose, would you choose quantity of life or quality of life? How would you make that decision? What would influence you?  As a society, I think many...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is author and retired NYPD captain Robert Bryan. I came across Robert’s name from an Amazon recommendation. There was this book series called Hairbag Nation that sounded interesting. I knew that hairbag was a term used by the NYPD back in the 70’s and 80’s, so I decided to see what Robert’s books were all about. I bought the first one, r...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is bestselling author, Mike McCrary. MIke’s the author of multiple book series as well as standalone novels. Mike came onto my radar with his Remo Cobb series, a nod to the pulpy, hard-boiled books written by Elmore Leonard, Raymond Chandler and the like. Recently, I got an email announcing his newest book (which I bought!) and I decided...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is bestselling author Jason Kasper. I came across Jason a few years ago when I got an email from him about his debut novel, Greatest Enemy. I devoured the book in about two days and was hooked. Since that debut, he’s closed out that initial story arc and started two more novel series. To say he’s a prolific writer would be an understatem...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is Jeremy Forsyth, an author from Johannesburg, South Africa. I had gotten on Jeremy’s email list when he was seeking reviewers for his most recent book. I emailed him back and asked if he wanted to be on a podcast episode. He did and here he is. A couple programming notes: since the call is between the US and South Africa, there is a bi...

Welcome back to the podcast. Today’s guest is Timothy Walker a former Richmond Police detective and current music producer, graphic artist, business owner and all around great guy.   Despite being a police officer for over 30yrs, he still maintains a sunny outlook on life and it shows in our interview. Make sure that you head on over to his website where you can find all of his work: https://linkt...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is Amukelani Makhuvela, an author from South Africa. I came across Amukelani’s Instagram page and decided to reach out to her to see if she’d be willing to be a guest on the podcast. She graciously agreed and we had a fantastic conversation. Take a listen to our chat and let me know what you think. Make sure you check out her Instagram p...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is Christian Miles, a 14yr old up and coming actor from the Richmond area. Christian and I talk about how he came to be in the Youtube short film, The Poet, as a young Edgar Allan Poe. The film is due to be released Spring, 2022. If you want to check out the Youtube channel with the director’s other work, head on over to Hollywood Gravey...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is Richmond native and bestselling author, David L. Robbins. David helped found an organization that’s near and dear to my heart: Frontline Writers. As many of you know, I’m a retired Homicide detective as well as the author of two different fiction series, so is it any wonder why I love the idea of a group that helps and encourages fron...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is Chesterfield’s Commonwealth Attorney, Stacey Davenport. Stacey is the first female Commonwealth Attorney in Chesterfield County’s history and she got her start as a public defender with the City of Richmond. Stacey and I talk about why she became a lawyer, why she thought that she’d always be a criminal defense attorney and how she ca...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is PJ Morrissey. I was working an off-duty job when a guy approached me and gave me a bead bracelet with a thin blue line color pattern. He told me about the special woman who made them and wrote down her website for me: emilysbracelets.com . I went to her website and was amazed at the number of bracelets this woman had designed. I sent...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. For today’s episode, I’ve invited back four past guests to talk about an issue that’s impacting the lives of people not only in Richmond, but nationwide: Black on Black crime. The panel and I talk about what they think is the root cause for it, what can be done to prevent it and why no one wants to talk about it openly. Listen to our discussion and le...

 Today’s guest is bestselling author and Richmond native, David L. Robbins. David’s first novel, War of the Rats,  was an incredible book about the battle of Stalingrad during World War ll. David went on from there to write another sixteen or seventeen books (he wasn’t sure the number when I asked him) and has ideas for even more books. He and I talk about how he became an author, how he goes all...

Todays’s guest is Mike Herring, the former Commonwealth Attorney for the City of Richmond. Mike did two stints as a prosecutor in the city. The first time as an assistant commonwealth attorney, specializing in drug prosecutions back in the early to mid-90’s, then as the elected Commonwealth Attorney, where he did nearly three terms before handing the reins over to Colette McEachin, who won her re-...

Today’s guest is Charlottesville author and screenwriter Michael Cordell.  I was on Michael’s email list and he asked me to review a newly released novel he wrote: Our Trespasses. It sounded like an interesting read, so I checked it out on Amazon. Then I got the idea to email him back and see if he was interested in doing a podcast episode. He said that he was and here he is. Take a listen to our...

Today’s guest is a longtime friend of mine, Betty Migliacco. Betty was born in Pennsylvania but moved to Richmond when she was seven years old and has been a city resident ever since. Betty and I talk about how we met, the jobs that she’s held and her current assignment with the Richmond Fire Department. Not to mention a life lesson or two.....Take a listen to her interview and let me know what yo...

Today’s guest is Dan Vilardo, a former Richmond cop and current podcaster with his own YouTube channel. Dan reached out to me on Instagram because we have the same goals on our podcasts; promoting positivity. Dan and I cover a variety of topics, to include: policing in Richmond, his sobriety, and his outlook on life. Take a listen to our interview and let me know what you think. Make sure that you...

Today’s guest is Shannon Taylor, the Commonwealth Attorney for Henrico County, Va. Shannon and I worked together when she was a prosecutor in Richmond. She then worked for the Richmond area Multi-jurisdictional grand jury, left that spot to become a defense attorney, then got elected to her current post in 2011.  Shannon and I talk about her career, the purpose of grand juries, her take on the Jus...