The Florida Writer Podcast

Lucy Forsting h as been a practicing psychotherapist in Wisconsin and Florida for over thirty years. In addition, she is a Reiki Master and currently host of the Synergy Connection Radio Show. The Adventures of Miss Twiggs and Company is her first book and integrates her love of children and animals with her desire to help all people create happy and rewarding lives. theadventuresofmisstwiggsandco...

Sarah Penner is the debut author of THE LOST APOTHECARY, forthcoming in March 2021 from Park Row Books/HarperCollins. The Lost Apothecary will be available in the US, UK, Canada, and translated in eleven territories worldwide. She and her husband live in St. Petersburg, Florida with their miniature dachshund, Zoe. To learn more, visit SarahPenner.com.  

Elizabeth Randall writes historical ghost stories. She is an English teacher working in Central Florida. Her first book applied her accumulated knowledge and experience as an educator to enable all teachers to employ successful education strategies that keep students and teachers aligned with common goals and outcomes for learning. She also is a freelance writer, most recently with Education Week,...

Kate Zarczynski practiced law at Jones Day in Chicago before making the decision to stay home with her three children, relocated to a small beach town, and wrote a novel as a love letter to female friendship. Kate says this is her first novel she feels confident in publishing! She wrote a novel in law school that was garbage and has stewed on being a writer for the twenty years since then but life...

Kathryn Gordon is the co-author of Relationship GRIT with her husband, bestselling author, Jon Gordon. In Relationship Grit,  the Gordons reveal what brought them together, what kept them together through difficult times, and what continues to sustain their love and passion for one another to this day. This interview highlights the struggles of working together and the bond it can create.  jongord...

Named for the famous fictional mystery writer J essica  Fletcher,  Jessica   Baker  picked up a pen when she was in elementary school and never set it down.  Jessica  lives in sunny Central Florida and is a member of the National Sisters in Crime. When she's not writing, she freelances as a camera assistant in film which provides plenty of inspiration for her stories.    Website:  www.jessicabaker...

Tara  Lynn Masih is a National Jewish Book Award Finalist and winner of the Julia Ward Howe Award for Young Readers for her debut novel  My Real Name Is Hanna . Her anthologies include  The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction  and  The Chalk Circle: Intercultural Prizewinning Essays .  Where the Dog Star Never Glows  is her collection of long and very short stories. She founded t...

Barista by day, romance novelist by night:  When not writing fiction, Dr. Seuss-like poetry (for adults) or song lyrics, Barbara Meyers disguises herself behind a green apron and works part-time for a world-wide coffee company. Her novels are a mix of comedy, suspense, and spice and often feature a displaced child. For more information visit BarbaraMeyers.com  

Chrysa Keenon has always loved stories—both reading and writing them. Her degree from Taylor University's acclaimed Professional Writing program helped her learn a thing or two about the craft, and she set her sights on working in the publishing industry. Chrysa kickstarted her career by interning with GenZ Publishing and The Seymour Agency. By day, she works in editorial for a prominent bridal ma...

Brian Petkash's award-winning stories have appeared in  Midwestern Gothic  and  Southword , among other publications.  Mistakes by the Lake , a collection of Cleveland-centric stories published by Madville Publishing, is out now. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Brian currently lives in Tampa, Florida, where he remains an avid fan of Cleveland sports.  https://brianpetkash.com

Suzanne Lynn has been in radio for the last 25 years. She was an on-air personality on Z88.3 in Central Florida for eight years before leaving to run her digital media company, Triangle Media. She is passionate about helping authors create branded interview-style videos so they can sell more books. She currently hosts her own show on a Central Florida radio station that reaches 500,000 listeners....

Jerome Bailey Jr. is a master storyteller who shifts thinking, perception, attitudes, and behaviors. He uses creative content, video production, compelling written works, poetry, sermons, speeches, and service to others to tell transformational stories that build dynamic, trustworthy and leading brands. jeromebaileyjr.com

Alyssa Jennette graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA in Illustration. As a result, she has unique insight and expertise when it comes to design-heavy or illustrated works. Alyssa finds joy in shaping stories alongside the author and delights in building long-term partnerships. Alyssa joined Stonesong in June 2015 and represents children's and adult fiction and picture bo...

Best selling author Marc Ritorto is the father of 4 daughters including author Kristina Ritorto. He is a musician, writer, martial artist, and the host of the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) podcast called The Marc The Shark MMA Show. He started writing books for fun in 2018, releasing his first self-published book The Cabal on Amazon in 2019. Visit ritortofamilybooks.com

Janine Watkins traded in her career as a field engineer at NYC's LaGuardia Airport to become an author, fitness instructor, and world traveler. Janine 's hope is that the Sonder Lives' saga will instill in all of its readers the curiosity about what our world would look like if we were 100% responsible for ourselves in our pursuit of happiness. For more information about Janine, visit her at https...

Lawrence Knorr has been involved with book publishing since 2000. Lawrence's 30+ year career in information technology has prepared him well for the "Age of Content" – the era of eBooks, data integration, eCommerce, and networks. Lawrence is the author or co-author of over twenty books. He is also an award-winning digital artist. Lawrence often speaks or is a panelist at numerous writers' conferen...

Michael  Farrell  was drawn into the world of writing by his childhood dreams and the stories in his head that he wishes to bring to life. He loves Psychology, fantasy worlds, and stories about the wonders of life. He is a black belt in tae kwon do and has practiced the art for ten years. He also has a background in tumbling. Currently, he has two works in progress that he hopes to publish in the...

Teresa Edmond-Sargeant's short stories have appeared in several publications including the Demonic Anthology series, "Thrill of the Hunt: Buried Alive," and 121 Words. She's releasing her first short story collection in late 2020. Teresa is also an art/culture/history junkie, shopping enthusiast, and church and community volunteer. She loves her husband and their daughters, who they are raising to...

Mark Newhouse's novel The Devil's Bookkeepers 1 , about the Holocaust ghetto his parents miraculously survived, won the Gold Medal Historical Fiction and top honor, Best Published Book of the Year from the Florida Writers Association.  Mark is a Retired NY teacher, New York State Reading Association Teacher of the Year,  and is now the  Chairperson of the Florida Writers Association Youth Program,...

Nancy Christie is an award-winning author of the literary short fiction collection T raveling Left of Center and Other Stories , and three non-fiction books: Rut-Busting for Authors, Rut-Busting Book for Writers , and The Gift of Change . Peripheral Vision and Other Stories was recently released by Unsolicited Press. Nancy is also the founder of Celebrate Short Fiction Day, a day to honor the shor...

After 35+ years of operations for various businesses (including her own), Melody pursued her dream of someday writing a novel. Having written for business publications, local magazines and even publishing a poem, Chemo's not for Sissies, during treatment after her first cancer diagnosis, it was time to finish the novel that was started many years ago. When she started writing "Facade: Things Aren'...

Michael  David  Anderson  is the author of the Teddy Dormer novels, Teddy and Wake, their companion piece Desynchrony, and the haunted house novel In the House of Wolves. He possesses degrees in both Psychology and English. He was born in East Tennessee in 1985 and currently resides in Orlando, Florida with his fiancée Christine.  www.michaeldavidanderson.com @shadeofmidnight on Twitter @michaelda...

John   W .  Bateman  was the first person in his family to leave the fly-over states in more than 200 years. It didn't last.  John writes and looks for stories in the Deep South. His work has appeared in The Santa Fe Writer's Project Quarterly, OneNewEngland, Glitterwolf Magazine, Huffington Post, TIMBER, Nately's, as well as on the silver screen. He has a secret addiction to glitter and, contrary...

Pop Culture Poets Wilnona and Jade are considered one of the 20 Iconic Authors according to Every Writer's Resource. They are the founders of The Inspirational Women in Literature Media and Journalism Awards, the Thoughtful Book Festival and Thoughtful Book Awards, the magazine 25 Hottest Indie Authors, Artist & Advocates, and the And I Thought Literary Magazine. Together, they have written 11 boo...

Al Pessin is an award-winning journalist, author and playwright. Kensington will publish his first novel, Sandblast , on March 31, 2020. The first of the Task Force Epsilon thrillers, Sandblast was a top-five finisher in the Unpublished Book of the Year competition at the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards and a shortlist selection for the 2017 Bosque Fiction Prize.  Sandblast is the story of an Afgh...