Uncorking a Story

Lynne Golodner is the author of eight books and thousands of articles as well as a marketing entrepreneur, writing coach and host of the Make Meaning Podcast. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her first novel, Woman of Valor.  Key Takeaways Lynne's journey as a writer: Lynne shares her passion for writing, which began at a young age with journals and evolved into freelancing during...

Christina Henry is a horror and dark fantasy author whose works include Horseman, Near the Bone, The Ghost Tree, Looking Glass, The Girl in Red, The Mermaid, Lost Boy, Alice, Red Queen, and the seven-book urban fantasy Black Wings series. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her latest novel, Good Girls Don’t Die. Key Takeaways Be the exception. Christina didn’t have an agent represent...

Ellen Yashinsky Chute is a clinical social worker, consultant and educator who has dedicated her life to helping individuals, families and teams unlock their potential. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her latest book, What Drives You?: How Our Family Dynamics Shape the People We Become. Key Takeaways Self-reflection and understanding: Ellen emphasizes the importance of recognizing...

Audrey Gale long dreamed of being a writer, but never anticipated the circuitous road she’d take to get there. After twenty-plus years in the banking industry, she grew tired of corporate gamesmanship and pursued her master’s in fiction writing at the University of Southern California. She joined me on Uncorking a story to discuss her second novel,The Human Trial, which is the first book in a medi...

Diane Danvers Simmons is a born-and-raised Brit who moved to America in her late twenties for business and success. After an accomplished career as a senior vice president at Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising and then Omnicom Media in London, New York, and LA, she became a mother. Drawing from her advertising and marketing skills, Chopra center teachings, and life experiences, Diane transitioned her s...

Carissa Orlando has a doctorate in clinical-community psychology and specializes in work with children and adolescents. Prior to her career in psychology, she studied creative writing in college and has written creatively in some form since she was a child. An avid horror fan for much of her life, It was only a matter of time before she merged her understanding of the human psyche and deep love fo...

Donna Marie Hayes is a SAG-AFTRA actress and cabaret singer who can be found on a stage or in front of a camera and has been featured on the Dr. Oz Show, Orange Is The New Black, Black Girls Rock, Celebrity Ghost Stories, as well as in several other New York City Off-Broadway and TV productions. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss her memoir These Broken Roads: Scammed and Vindicated - O...

Edward Carey is a novelist, visual artist, and playwright. His previous novels include The Swallowed Man, which was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, Little, Alva & Irva, and Observatory Mansions. He joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about his career and latest novel, Edith Holler. Key Themes Edward's Creative Journey: Edward Carey's journey as a multifaceted artist began with his...

Bill C. Potts is a motivational speaker, business leader, and community builder who has held executive roles at IRONMAN Group and Clearwater Marine Aquarium. He is co-founder and managing director of marketing agency Remedy 365 and a lecturer at Tulane University. An IRONMAN triathlete and a five-time cancer survivor, Bill is a long-time volunteer at his local homeless shelter and an advisory boar...

Will Harris is on a mission to help save the world. He inherited a highly profitable, conventionally run farm from his ancestors. After many years, he found himself disgusted with the excess, cruelty, and small-town devastation. He decided to make a change to the land on the ground level. He joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss his memoir A BOLD RETURN TO GIVING A DAMN: One Farm, Six Generati...

Authors often tap into their past experiences and memories and plant them in our stories. Speaking from experiences, anecdotes that my parents shared with me decades ago will wind up in a story, not in a self-indulgent way, but more as a way of bringing some added realism to a plot point. Today’s guest, Kimberly Behre Kenna, shared a beautiful story about how she integrated an experience her mothe...

Sometimes I interview someone and we just don’t click. There are those interviews where we just fail to find a groove and I think to myself, that could have been better. I am happy to report that today’s interview is not one of those! Maybe it’s because I’ve interviewed Zaida before, maybe its because we are both natives of South Florida, or maybe it’s because we both share an appreciation for Rob...

When I was a kid, my brother Jimmy and I would watch the original Clash of the Titans over and over and over. It had everything a young boy would love; heroes, Gods, magical weapons, and a young Maggie Smith. When offered the chance to interview the author of a book entitled Medusa’s sisters, not even Perseus himself could stop me! Meet Lauren J.A. Bear After studying English at UCLA and Education...

This episode is the result of mistaken identity. Somehow I got it in my head that comedian Mark Schiff was in the room next to my brother’s at Memorial Sloan Kettering, a specialty hospital in New York City treating cancer. Not only does Mark live in LA and not New York, but he doesn’t have cancer—which would make a short-term residency at MSK odd to say the least. When I saw that Mark appeared on...

What do Andy Warhol and Julia Child have in common? They were both in Marilyn Moss Rockefeller’s life! Listen in as I uncork Marilyn’s unexpected journey into business, her resilience in facing challenges, her transformation from a mountain girl to CEO, and her emphasis on persistence and growth. This is one motivational episode of Uncorking a Story! Meet Marilyn Moss Rockefeller Marilyn Marilyn M...

Everything I know about the criminal justice system I learned from Law and Order. Seriously, I’ve watched so much of it I feel as if I have a JD from L&O University! Well, what do you do when the police show up at your door with a search warrant when you know you are innocent of any wrongdoing? Today’s guest, Will Young, found out the hard way that life doesn’t imitate art. Meet Will Young Will is...

Though it sounds unintuitive, experiencing grief can be a good thing. All of us suffer losses at various points during our life—it could be the loss of a loved one, the end of a relationship, or even seeing your kids go off to college. Grief often accompanies loss and my guest today, Tracee Dunblazier, is here to teach us how we can turn that grief into something positive that inspires personal gr...

I love it when conversations go to unexpected places and today’s does just that. I didn’t anticipate speaking about the passing of my brother but doing so with today’s guest, author Jane L. Rosen, simply felt right given one of the core themes of her latest novel, On Fire Island. Meet Jane L. Rosen Jane is an author, screenwriter and former Huffington Post contributor. Jane often takes inspiration...

I’ve long believed that curiosity is one of the most powerful superpowers that authors wield. Thinking it through more, curiosity may help us craft interesting plots, but its nothing without relatability. If our storylines are not relatable to readers, all of the curiosity in the world is useless. That’s one of the lessons I learned from today’s guest, Chris Ehrlich. Meet Chris Ehrlich Chris is an...

Carl Ficks has introduced me to many fantastic guests who have appeared on Uncorking a Story over the years. Today, it is his turn to sit in the hot seat! Listen in as we discuss his contribution to an anthology of essays on loss, courage, and personal transformation alongside the book’s co-editor Rosemary Ravinal.   Meet Carl Ficks & Rosemary Ravinal Carl Ficks, Jr., JD works with leaders to incr...

Tim Murphy is the author of Correspondents and Christodora, which was long-listed for the 2017 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and named a Best Book of the Year by The Guardian. He has also been a journalist for the past 25 years and joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about his career and latest novel, Speech Team.  Key Takeaways Tim Murphy's passion for writing: Throughout the...

Imagine sitting with an acquiring editor who just offered you a multi book deal to write a series based on your first book and telling them that you will think about it. Sounds crazy, right? Well, that’s just part of prolific writer Craig Johnson’s amazing story. Meet Craig Johnson Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire mysteries, the basis for the hit Netflix origi...

I’ve long believed that writing is therapeutic but for author Lynn Hightower, it became her path of survival during a difficult period in her life. She explains that writing helped her escape the real world and allowed her to express her opinions on grief and hearing loss through her characters. So, writing isn’t done just for the benefit of readers, but for us authors as well! Meet Lynn Hightower...

Writing is a dynamic and ever-evolving process. By embracing change and finding inspiration in unexpected places, you can breathe new life into your writing. Just ask Stephanie Cowell, whose latest book, A Boy in the Rain, was started over forty years ago. It was only recently that Stephanie felt as if she could finish it, which just goes to show that all of the book we have within us will come ou...

Today, we have the fabulous Wendy Holden, a British journalist and novelist with global success, joining us to spill the tea on her latest book, "The Princess." We're talking about the ultimate royal celebrity, Diana Princess of Wales, and a fictionalized backstory of her young adulthood. Trust me, this episode is packed with more drama than a reality TV show, so grab your popcorn and get ready to...