Podcast appearances and mentions of danielle steele

Let's go for a walk!   I've sometimes imagined 3 Books as a long walk with a friend. So today—let's take one! Nickisha moved to Toronto from Jamaica when she was 16 to reunite with her mom and after working as a travel agent she broke out on her own to run a successful business full of fresh air, exercise, community, and lots of love.   I sometimes see Nickisha with five, six, or seven dogs around her—giving them the highlight of their day! Tongues wagging. Skip in their step. Motoring around town clocking 100km on foot each week!   One of our traditions on 3 Books is doing podcasts outside from ​Chapter 27​ with Robin the Bartender on the open patio of Bar Raval in Toronto to ​Chapter 106​ with Alok Vaid-Menon in Central Park in New York City to ​Chapter 131​ with J. Drew Lanham while birdwatching in South Carolina...   Another tradition here is exploring stories from people who fill our lives but aren't often represented by our screen-based culture full of politicians and billionaires. We vote with our attention so it's fun turning off the same faces to hang with people like ​Vishwas the Uber Driver​, ​Shirley the Nurse​, and ​Soyoung the Variety Store Owner​.   So strap on your running shoes! Throw in some headphones! And let's go for a walk with Nickisha to discuss urban density, pedestrian-driver relations, safe supply, the dog walking business, immigration assimilation, Danielle Steele, and, of course, Nickisha's 3 most formative books.   Let's flip the page to Chapter 147 now...

(00:00-25:36) Ed Hermann stops by the studio. He wouldn't mind seeing Arenado in pinstripes. Would Ed shave his beard for a job with the Yankees? Ed's really making us all feel better about things this morning. We're all just soaking it in. Ed is just flat out insightful this morning. Twitter is verbal dodgeball. (25:44-33:20) Voice of the Blues, John Kelly on the phone lines. Blues top line had a lot to do with their success over the weekend. Important game tonight for playoff possibilities against Seattle with Vancouver idle. Carryover from the Four Nations. Best on best every two years with the World Cup of Hockey and Winter Olympics. (33:30-48:45) Big night of ball coming up. Joe Lunardi's latest brackets have been revealed. Lunardi in lockstep with The Athletic as a 5 seed playing McNeese State. Can SEMO get by Duke? Danielle Steele novels. Larry Nickel is on hold and he wants to tell us what happened in wrestling last night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(00:00-25:36) Ed Hermann stops by the studio. He wouldn't mind seeing Arenado in pinstripes. Would Ed shave his beard for a job with the Yankees? Ed's really making us all feel better about things this morning. We're all just soaking it in. Ed is just flat out insightful this morning. Twitter is verbal dodgeball. (25:44-33:20) Voice of the Blues, John Kelly on the phone lines. Blues top line had a lot to do with their success over the weekend. Important game tonight for playoff possibilities against Seattle with Vancouver idle. Carryover from the Four Nations. Best on best every two years with the World Cup of Hockey and Winter Olympics. (33:30-48:45) Big night of ball coming up. Joe Lunardi's latest brackets have been revealed. Lunardi in lockstep with The Athletic as a 5 seed playing McNeese State. Can SEMO get by Duke? Danielle Steele novels. Larry Nickel is on hold and he wants to tell us what happened in wrestling last night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 6: Self-liquidating offers: a boring term that makes us sound super smart! Join Lee and Russell as they discuss ways to advertise and push a pre-order using a direct store bundle–the author version of a self-liquidating offer.Opening credits and editing by the amazing Jim Wilbourne. * Self-liquidating offers in courses and nonfiction, and now fiction* Russell's pre-order marketing strategy  * Launch marketing strategy * Nick Erik's 5x5 ad creation strategy* Nick's recommended romance audience: Diana Gabaldon, Danielle Steele, Nora Roberts, EL James, Sylvia Day, Contemporary romance   * How to test ads* What is the halo/spillover effect and why is it worth millions?* “He was everything, he was nothing…and now he's a potato!” * The two ways to make a direct store: Shopify or landing page with a store plug in like Optimize Press * The benefits of running ads to your own store versus Amazon or other retailers Resources: * Free Book Launch Checklist (includes how to apply for merchandising)* Russell's book launch checklist (the generic one tailored to him): https://BookHip.com/BDJDMNG * Solid marketing and ad advice: nicholaserik.com* Steve Pieper's direct sales course: app.stevepieper.com * Russell's offers* www.russellnohelty.com/obsidiansales* russellnohelty.myflodesk.com/rc0k0kug3u* www.russellnohelty.com/ichabodcomplete/* www.russellnohelty.com/series/the-godsverse-chronicles/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.sixfigureauthorexperiment.com

Special Bonus Episode! We uncovered the lost, original recording of our first episode: Malice by Danielle Steele. The quality isn't what you've come to expect, after 17 seasons, but the meanness is still there. There's a raw edge and anger to our younger selves. There's also more alcohol. As you await our Season 17 Book List, please enjoy the special (unedited) episode found deep within our podcast vault.Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday!

This week Andrew talks with journalist & author Polina Marinova Pompliano. Polina spent 5 years at Fortune where she wrote over 1,300 articles — and served as author & editor of Term Sheet, Fortune's industry-leading newsletter on venture capital, private equity, and corporate dealmaking. Today, Polina is the founder of The Profile, a media company that features longform profiles of successful people and companies. She is also the author of the new book “Hidden Genius: The Secret Ways of Thinking That Power The World's Most Successful People”. In this conversation, Andrew & Polina dive deep into her favorite findings from years of studying top performers  — and explore how all of us can apply these lessons to our own lives. Show Highlights:(0:00) - Intro(2:45) - Learning through stories(4:54) - Learning through people(5:17) - Consuming well-rounded content(7:21) - Lessons from author Danielle Steele(10:50) - Learning instead of idolizing(14:01) - Polina's decision to leave Fortune(15:26) - Building a powerful personal brand(17:32) - Betting on yourself(21:35) - Creating moments of elective hardship(25:14) - Leadership lessons from Spotify's Daniel Ek(29:13) - Business of Taylor Swift(29:59) - Doing things that don't scale(31:26) - “Slow bake” vs microwave growth(33:04) - Who Polina would like to write a biography on(34:41) - Building a legacy(36:13) - Lessons Polina models for her daughter(37:41) - Creating trust** Follow Andrew On Social Media **Twitter: @andrewhmosesInstagram: @AndrewMoses123Sign up for e-mails to keep up with Andrew's podcast at everybodypullsthetarp.com/newsletter

Four Decades in the Dental Profession: A Personal Memoir Born Adejoke Ariyike Ayinke, Atanda, Dr. Adejoke Fatunde is the first child of Professor Joseph Adebowale Atanda and Mrs Omoyisola Atanda. She has been blessed with eight brothers and one sister. She is married to Dr. Ayodeji Adeniyi Fatunde and they both live in Grapevine, Texas, in the USA. Their almost forty years of marriage is blessed with four children. She credits much of her professional accomplishment to the support and understanding of her husband and children whom refers to as ‘My Motivators and Destiny Helpers'. Her faith in God has been her sustaining factor. She enjoys listening to gospel music and would sometimes sing along. She enjoys reading, Danielle Steele being her favorite author.

Hey, Feelers. Questions: Should we sacrifice privacy for safety? Or vice versa? Is someone going to grab one of us off the street? How are we supposed to feel?Today, we talk kidnappings; getting back into reading; capital punishment; the difficulty of seeing predators as human; romance novels; and Meghan's fixation on the name “Belinda.” Then you're in for a real treat because we've got Alan and Zack from the Boo's Your Daddy podcast joining us for a cave expedition into men's feelings.We get into free vacations offered by timeshare cults; taking our talents on the road; the 5 love languages; fathering teenage girls; high paid football coaches; teachers; Finland; capitalism; universal healthcare; and a Dr. Ruth sighting. The boys get down with the advice column and a couple of creepy children. Handle it.Boo's Your Daddy!?! podcastRead along in Witness: Volume Ten – The Journals of Meghan McDonnellPlaylist on SpotifyFollow us on InstagramEmail us at thefeelingspodcast@gmail.comThe Feelings (buzzsprout.com)Music: “When it All Falls” by Ketsa* Names and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect identities. We have solely recorded our interpretations and opinions of all events. Certain place names have been changed.

This week on Erotic Nonsense Kendra and Lauren discuss The Right Time by Danielle Steele and Seven Days in June by Tia Williams.

Find "Invisible" by Danielle Steele here: https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Novel-Danielle-Steel-ebook/dp/B091PJSK74/ref=sr_1_1?crid=N47MDCRI2E7K&keywords=danielle+steele+invisible&qid=1642712395&sprefix=danielle+steele+invi%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-1 Learn about Jackie and her books here: https://jackieadamssite.wordpress.com/ Until next time!

Today we begin the series, Faces of widowhood. Every Thursday I will have a conversation with a widow about how they became widowed, how it affected them, their families, their lives... Today is my story. It is a familiar story for many. The stuff of Hallmark Movies and Danielle Steele books.... but in real life, the happy ending isn't always so easy to find, rainbow not so easy to see... That is why I share my story, and those of others in this series. And they will tell us all how they have persevered, managed to get through the rough days, and find themselves again. I hope that you find some wisdom, and perhaps some strength, from them to help you get through what ever it is that you are struggling with. Please Follow, Like and Share this podcast ... Follow me on social media and check out my website- where all my passions come together! IG @dawnranae_h FB: @colormeeverthing website: www.colormeeverything.com FB Group: Beautifully Broken with DawnRanae --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/beautifullybroken/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/beautifullybroken/support

Pat George and Dom George stop by the home-away-from-home studio to talk to Jarrod and Chris about ghost stories, Danielle Steele pajamas and Martin Scorsese movies. Of course Scorsese makes an appearance. Jarrod gets a front-row seat to a Buddha Boys reunion and has a damning revelation involving Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck and Mark Wahlberg. And Chris wears a nightshirt, everybody. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=48989573)

Robert Glazer is the founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners, a global marketing agency. Robert is also the co-founder and Chairman of BrandCycle, an affiliate marketing and content monetization platform.Acceleration's accolades under Robert's direction include Glassdoor's Employees' Choice Awards, Entrepreneur's Top Company Culture, Inc. Magazine's Best Place to Work, and Fortune's Best Small & Medium Workplaces. Robert is also the international bestselling author of four books: Elevate, Friday Forward, Performance Partnerships, and How To Thrive In The Virtual Workplace.With a passion for helping entrepreneurs and organizations achieve success, Robert shares his insights in Friday Forward, an inspirational weekly newsletter reaching over 200,000 individuals and business leaders across 60+ countries. He is also a regular columnist for Forbes, Inc. and Entrepreneur on the subjects of performance marketing and entrepreneurship, company culture, hiring, and leadership.Robert enjoys speaking on business growth, culture, mindful transitions, building capacity and performance, and spends his spare time skiing, cycling, reading, traveling, renovating his home, and spending time with his family.In this episode, you'll learn: The most important component for maximizing your content's reach The necessity of giving your audience direct access to you Why the culture of your organization or brand is so important Links & Resources Entrepreneurs' Organization “This Is the Only Newsletter I Always Read. Here's Why” Rad Reads Friday Four James Clear “How a CEO's Inspirational Emails Got a Worldwide Following” Benjamin Hardy Tim Ferriss Malcolm Gladwell Danielle Steel Robert Glazer's Links Robert Glazer's website Friday Forward Elevate Podcast Acceleration Partners Books by Robert Glazer Robert's Twitter Episode TranscriptRobert: [00:00:00]Here's how you should think about what is a mistake that you have permission to make: one of the things that was really helpful is we shared with the team a picture of a boat with a waterline, and said, “Look, the below-the-waterline stuff is going to sink the boat, the stuff that's above the waterline, that's not going to stink the ship. Let's make mistakes, learn from them, and not make them again. What we really need you to do is watch the waterline.”Nathan: [00:00:31]In this episode, I talk to Robert Glazer, who built a newsletter called Friday Forward to a couple hundred thousand subscribers, which is really impressive.But then he also did it while running a full-time business while running a team of over 200 people. They're growing really quickly. The company is called the Acceleration Partners, and they are an agency that works with all the biggest affiliate programs out there. So it's fascinating the way that he took the content, the way that he republished on LinkedIn and wrote for Forbes, and, Inc., and others.We also get into other things like company culture. He runs a virtual team. We get into why he writes books and produces courses even as he's running a multi-million dollar company. A lot of interesting things. There are questions that I'm asking kind of really for myself, because he has this interesting split of content creator and CEO, that I try to find that balance and walk that line as well.It's a phone conversation. We've been friends for a long time and, haven't caught up in quite a while. So, it's just fun to chat.I hope you enjoy the episode.Bob. Welcome to the show.Robert: [00:01:34]Good to be here.Nathan: [00:01:36]So I actually haven't talked to you in a long time. I was just thinking back to,Robert: [00:01:41]Pre-COVID probably. And then we reallyNathan: [00:01:43]Yeah, exactly. But we've had so many good conversations, like a few interesting things that we have in common is both running good sized firms, like as CEOs, and then also loving content creation and loving this side of it. So, I want to talk about all kinds of stuff related to that. But first, your newsletter Friday Forward, like, will you just tell high-level where that came from?Because as I understand it, you didn't set out to start a newsletter. You set out to create content for your team.Robert: [00:02:12]Yeah, and even set out to work on my morning routine. So, I actually had come from a leadership event, pretty intensive event that Entrepreneur's Organization had put on. I think it's until I started a long time. And then you realize you've got to change your dates like five, seven years ago now.The real focus is on the morning routine, not the real focus, a big focus was on a morning routine, starting off the days. Because, you know, time for thoughtful reflection, reading something positive writing, which is a great routine for a creator anyway. And, we were given some stuff to read.It was a little too like rainbow and unicorny like, “You can do it!” quotes. Like it wasn't my cup of tea. And so I, when I got back and I continued through the routine, I was like, you know what, maybe, maybe I'll combine these activities. I have some stories that I like and some quotes and some things in this folder.Like, so I thought like our team was like 40 at the time, I think maybe 45 and we're all distributed. We've always been virtual. And so I was like, I'll just start writing this note to the team on Fridays. And it won't be about our business or anything. It'll be about a story or something kind of inspirational and motivational getting better.Started sending these things, I changed the name a few times. For a couple of months I didn't think anyone was reading them. Then I did get some notes back saying, you know what, I did this thing, you talked about three or four weeks ago, or, “Thanks, that was really helpful.” And the other curious thing was I got notes like, “Hey, I shared this with my wife's company,” or, you know, “My brother shared this with his family. He loves it. I've been sending it to him.”So, I was actually at another EO conference a couple months later talking with some other CEOs about like, this is, this has been really good. It's been good for me. It makes me think about something, right.It's been a great way to connect to the team. You know, you, you should all try this. And they said, Oh yeah, well, send us yours.” So, I sent it to four or five of them and like good entrepreneurs, like one started his own and did it this year. And the other said, “This is great. We'll just send this stuff to our teams! This is super helpful!”So, at that point I was like, huh, I wonder if this people would be interested outside. I did not know about a ConvertKit at the time. So I, I found sort of a, a newsletter service that would just look as much like a plain email as possible. Cause I was doing this all via BCC.I threw like a couple hundred friends on it and family and other people. I expected like, “What the hell is this?” (unsubscribe). And, I just kept getting nice notes, and people were sharing it. Someone posted something on Inc. “This is the only newsletter I read.” And 2000 people signed up that day and now it's like a couple hundred thousand people in 60 countries and it's totally crazy.Nathan: [00:04:43]That's yeah, that's wild. I'm realizing that a lot of these newsletters. Are really high quality and people love start with something random like that. Like I think of, my friend Kay, who runs Rad Reads,like he started that, it was just like, here's some links for some friends, you know? And it, it starts in that really simple.I love the idea of the CEO being like, “Yeah, I should have… wait, how about, instead of me writing it, you just write it?”Robert: [00:05:11]Well, th th there's a phrase in EO or it called R and D, which is rip off and duplicate, which is, so yeah, they were like, this is good. This is my team will love this. Just send it to me on Fridays. and it made me that way in the slack channel and all that stuff.So, yeah,Nathan: [00:05:26]What are some of the things like as we fast forward, what are some of the opportunities and things like or favorite moments that have come from having the newsletter and then we can back it upRobert: [00:05:34]It's, it is nothing about my business. And I actually got pressure from our team to be like, Hey, shouldn't this be like under our brand or otherwise? And I think there's people that I, I w my agency, you know, we run affiliate marketing agency. A lot of times people ask for advice.What kind of blog or things should I write to make money? I'm like, it kind of doesn't work like that. Like these people, like this guy loves grills, this woman loves whatever. Like they, they get a following because they love the content they want to write about everyday. Then they think about monetization.I think, you know, something like Friday four to probably other ones that work. Like I just tried to create value for the reader every week. If I had had an ulterior motive, then I think the content wouldn't have been good and it wouldn't have spread. So it's led to all kinds of discussions speaking all around the world, you know, my, my two books, for sure.And just, you know, a lot of times. Again, probably forward, like you would never know in a million years what I did or what my business did, but I will get an introduction to our business from a Friday Forward because it's, I'm just in that person's inbox every Friday. Like that's the mental trigger, not, not the marketing content that we put out, like all over the place.So that's kind of been an interesting learning for me. because again, it, well, it's totally separate. There's clearly been a, a nice halo effect,Nathan: [00:06:54]Yeah. Are there, does that happen a lot of business coming from Friday Forward or is it more just the, kind of the rising tide.Robert: [00:07:05]It happens a fair amount. And I will say a lot of times I'm reaching out to a client or prospect or partner in our industry and they will say. Something about love that Friday Forward or otherwise. I was actually an industry conference, PC pre COVID. And cause at the time some of this, we put out a ton of content or industry, like the best content or industry.We have an industry book or otherwise, and I'm walking around the big event party, like the night with all the people in our industry and people coming up and saying, Hannah, like, I love that Friday for four weeks ago. I loved that one too much. Like, no one's talking about the five reasons to start an affiliate pro like I just thought it was like an interesting thing where, you know, no one for all the content we have those industry wise that wasn't what anyone was talking to me about.Nathan: [00:07:48]Yeah, I was, I was thinking about, James clear is someone who I've been friends with for a long time and, and got to watch him build his newsletter. And he got to this point. Yeah. It was probably around maybe 50, a hundred thousand subscribers where he realized the level of person that was following and reading his stuff was like, he would reach out of, Hey, could I, could we do this?He's got this long shot. Like, can I get an introductionRobert: [00:08:13]Yeah. And they thought he was like this, this amazing.Nathan: [00:08:17]Yeah, exactly. And they were like, oh, I'm already subscribed. You know? Like, and so I imagine you had the same kind of thing,Robert: [00:08:23]I actually, I, I do a hundred day check-ins with our clients and there's a really big global client we saw, like in the news all the day and she's like, oh, I've been a reader of your Friday, Ford for years. and so the sales team didn't know that no one knew that, but, but you know, I, I have to think that that factored into the decision making process, even though again, has nothing to do with what it is that we do.She's like, I used to listen to it on the tube to work, read it on the tube to work every Friday.Nathan: [00:08:49]Hmm. Do you do anything specific? Like to try to understand who's subscribed to it. Like I know James at one point with his newsletter, like specifically, I don't know how he did it, but he went and looked through it to find like what, which NFL teams were like had coaches that were subscribed or any of those.Robert: [00:09:07]All right. I'll give you some product, you know, a feature or things that would help with this if you want them. But yeah, a lot of times I'd store by, I sort by, one of the tools that really helped me with sorting by most opened by person. And then when I opened that in the thing, it would show me, I could clearly see it was being spread around a company because that person's copy of it was being opened in 200 cities around world.So, that would actually tip me off that it was like a company. And then I might go look at that company's URL in the, in the sort of subscriber list and see if there are a bunch of people from that company. But that's also be an awesome feature to try to join together, like a company statistic and show people or some sort of heat map about like, who's opening it.But I, I, I, that is the one thing I do. I look every week at the total number of opens by it subscriber because it gives me a sense of if it's being forwarded beyond the initial open. And then like, if someone has a 2000 next to them, like they've sent this to a lot of people. And so it's just sort of a mental note in my head.Nathan: [00:10:12]That's interesting. I like that. okay. So let's talk about how the newsletter group, cause obviously going from, you know, a couple hundred people to a couple hundred thousand people is a lot of work. We don't want to be hand-wavy about it. There's, there's a lot in that maybe like from that 300 people to say the first five or 10,000, did that part of the journey look like?Robert: [00:10:35]Yeah. So, look at, once it started getting momentum, there were a couple articles, there was a Boston globe article. There was an ink article kind of, again, this is the newsletter. I read saw some big bumps on that. anyone who emailed me, you know, it would be added to the list, you know, so I was good about anyone that I interacted with would make the cut.I actually had a tool that would scrape my inbox and do that, which is pretty cool. you know, because, and, and, and, and thinking through LinkedIn. So I was good about making sure that people I were connected to were on it. And then I started to just think more about touch points, you know, in terms of, if someone was doing a we'd sign them up for bee.I think that's, you know, that's something I focused on as the list has gotten bigger, but I really, I also, because it was being forwarded a lot, I tried, and I, you know, stole some, I ripped off a duplicate, like just, I tried to be clever with the lions around. Hey, you're stealing this copy from someone else and it's free, like sign up to get inside to get your run.So I tried to make sure that the people that were reading it or got forwarded one knew it was like a newsletter that they could get every week and try to get them to sign up. And, the other thing I was really good about is I would syndicate them on LinkedIn or I post on LinkedIn and I'd always say at the bottom, Hey, this is part of my Friday Ford series.You can sign up here and that actually generated a fair enough look, LinkedIn is one of the few media syndication things that lets you, you know, they're not paying you to do, it's not ink, it's your channel. So I think the thing that people forget is they they're, you can, you know, you can really actively drive signups to, to a newsletter list from LinkedIn.Nathan: [00:12:15]Yeah. And I remember when we were talking. In a long Uber ride from in park city. I think that something like that doesn't surprise by it is that LinkedIn was driving a good number of subscribers for you. Was there a particular strategy there or are you just recently getting the content?Robert: [00:12:34]Look, luck is as good as strategy. So I got timing. I was one of the first ones to have the newsletter series and the subscribe button. Plus at the time I was part of a small group where LinkedIn was boosting the content. So I would publish an article. People would see the subscribe button and it would go out to hundreds of thousands of people.And I made sure to let them know that again, I think with a newsletter, when someone forwards a newsletter, the person receiving it could assume like this is a one-time thing, but if they really love the writing, like someone did all of his articles yesterday, brilliant thing, the person wrote. Yeah. At the end of the day, it said some, not this isn't the language, but like I write things like this all the time, you know, get them directly here.I probably, I probably would have done that, but I don't, I don't think people think to think to do that as much. So, you know, if you, if you publish on or you publish on forums, is there any of these things? They really don't let you drive to your newsletter list, but things like medium and Quora and LinkedIn, you know, you can, you can very easily drive to your own list.Nathan: [00:13:34]Do you think that, like that opportunity, obviously you timed timed it well through you don't lock in that timing.Robert: [00:13:41]Yeah. I don't know if it would work the same today, but that's true for any of the channels as they're taking off, right?Nathan: [00:13:46]Right. But the, the republishing idea is interesting because a lot of people will say like, no, I want that content on my own site. And I'm using James as an example. Again, that's something that he did in his first business. He did a lot of like, he would write guest posts for everything. And then in, for James clear.com, he took the approach of saying, I'm going to only like the original content goes on my site, but I'll resyndicate it, you know, Quora, medium LinkedIn, anywhere else.Robert: [00:14:12]Yeah, syndication thing. And again, I mean, I've done, I have columns on Inc and Forbes and you just, you can't link to yourself. Right? So, I, if I put something on there, I have take it all out. what, if you put on LinkedIn core, medium, you can link to your own books, your own material, your own newsletters.So, I think there's some positive value of that from an SEO standpoint, in terms of also putting it on your own site and getting people to link into that, that article. But, you know, I, I consider LinkedIn a great way to build like your own audience on LinkedIn. I mean, I think, I actually think the distribution of five forward is probably bigger on LinkedIn than it is the email just based on my subscriber count there.Nathan: [00:14:54]Interesting. Okay. I also realized I finally accepted your LinkedIn request from three yearsRobert: [00:15:00]I've been sitting there every day. for two years. Sounds like, what did I, how did I offend them? Like, I don't.Nathan: [00:15:09]So, the, the Forbes and Inc like those columns, are you getting a good amount of like a good amount of additional attention from them? Like how do you think about that in your content strategy?Robert: [00:15:20]Yeah. I, I, I think to me, those, I try to focus on things there that where the authority is helpful. Right. I, I think where you're writing a definitive piece. So like, for example, my, you know, you can syndicate anything on thereafter two weeks too, but, but when I'm coming out with the remote book, like the three things to, you know, ask your employer about remote work.I think if you're sharing that with people or otherwise, there is an authority aspect of, of, of, of an anchor forms. One thing I've noticed though, and I, I don't know how this impacting the stats though, the sites have really pushing towards log-in and paywall. like, this is a lot of stuff going on and I have a feeling like it's probably reducing.Readership because even mean, even I now want to go read my article, you know, it's like, you can, you got to get a subscription. So I assume that's more limiting these days.Nathan: [00:16:17]We ran into that. When, earlier this year we acquired a company called fan bread, which is, email marketing for musicians and billboard covered the. Did, you know, broke the story, but it was behind a paywall and we were like, come on. You know? And so we emailed them in like an hour or two later.They're like, okay, we'll take it out from behind the paywall. But you run into that where you want the name brand, or you're like, oh look, Inc. You know, or, you know, for like like a piece of content, but, but you're right. It gets really hard when it's bound to pay. Well,Robert: [00:16:47]Look, and I, I feel that like everyone needs a business model. No, you know what it is, but I, I, there's a, there's a, or like large, global newspaper I write for. And they asked me to work on a series of something I sent to them and they sent me the article I wrote back. And he, the guy was really receptive to the feedback.And I was like, honestly, I was like, I wouldn't read this article. I feel like I'm being attacked by your banner ads. There is a full-size one, there's a blinking one. There's a video playing, this is terrible user experience. Like I can't even find the content. And like, I know you have to make money, but like, you guys are a prestigious, like big, like this is horrible.I it's just. I was like, and look, we know a lot of this from the affiliate space, Stu I'm like, look at what CNN and Buzzfeed and these folks are doing. I mean, they're, they're, they're trying to tie, you know, write really good content. Then, then, you know, linked to the things are linked to the relevant things or put it in the text so that if you're talking about this thing, buy it and make some money that way.But because a lot of these are just Google display ads, but it was really like, I actually felt like I was under attack, like on, on the page. And I was like, this is not the future. And he was, he was very receptive. He's like, I know it's bad. I'm like, I'm just not sure that putting a hundred display ads on a page is actually going to make you more money than putting the one or two right.Things that are contextual what's beingNathan: [00:18:06]Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So when you're writing, like what's the relationship between say Friday Forward and, like what you write for Forbes or Inc. Is it Reese indicated? Is it a version of the story that you then write differently?Robert: [00:18:23]Yeah. I have taken Friday Fords and adapted them to like ink or Forbes. not that often, like those need a kind of like 1, 2, 3 format and they really don't want you to talk about yourself. And actually Friday before it usually has personal anecdotes, but like on occasion, like if there's a concept that's really good.I will rework that into that structure. But, but you know, the thing that I've come to understand from, from James and from other people, and I, I used to be from Ben Hardy. Like I used to be a little more, but like the title really matters. Like, I, I, it, you know, it, it feels like you're being a little mark, but if you write a so-so title, the way the algorithm work, no, one's going to read the thing.So I, I think as a writer, you have to flip your brain on this and say, like, not that you should have a bait and switch title or sensational, but increase to send me the top 10 titles every month. And it's really clear the number one thing that the top two that, because either you see it and you read it now and it gets positive algorithm velocity, or if you think that I don't need to read that now.And it doesn't get momentum quickly, it drops to the bottom of the pile. So. You know, I have an editor and a title. I I'll push them. And I'm like warm cup of tea. That's one of my edits. Someone said that to me, once about my writing, like I was like, this feels like a warm cup of tea that you don't need to re like.And, and I think as a writer, I actually think everyone needs to embrace that a little bit. Your, your titles, they shouldn't be beat and switchy. They shouldn't be national Enquirer, but they, they kind of need to make people want to read it now.Nathan: [00:19:54]So, yeah, I'm definitely guilty of that. Of all. I'll write a 3000 word article that I'm really proud of. This is one of the things that I'm always going to refer back to, and then I'm like, oh, and the title, there we go. Yep. That'll work for the deadline. You just kind of move on and then you realize like, wait, why didn't people read it?Robert: [00:20:11]Right. And what we, we operate in this world, what goes up, it goes into feeds and like the stuff that's quickly looked at and clicked on and acted upon rises to the stop. And so you're talking about four to five times, probably the number of people that would read your article with the right title and by, and by the way, ink, ink forces AB titling.And I would tell you that I am, I am wrong more than ha like so wrong at, which is the, which would be the more effective title, which shows why it's in the testing is, is interesting. But every time I get the top lists again, it sounds as if they are all, you know, you won't believe why Delta airlines is firing all of its pilots, or this is the number one thing that all successful things haven't caught.Like those are the ones that are constantly the most read articles.Nathan: [00:20:57]Yeah. Okay. So I want to ask about writing process because showing up, like when you're running a company and you've got a substantial team now and all that.Robert: [00:21:06]Yeah.Nathan: [00:21:07]And showing up every week and like writing good, original content that people want to forward and share with, you know, with their teams and everything else.That's hard to do. So tell me about your process for producing that quality content on The Nathan Barry Show – 044 – Nathan Barry_PROCESSED: [00:21:19] aNathan: [00:21:19]Consistent basis.Robert: [00:21:21]Yeah. So Friday Forward, I have a very good editor on my team, worked on them for two years. He could probably write an article and I couldn't have told you, you know, if my, I mean, he knows my voice at this point, but, I once had someone write me on Friday at four and say, whatever you pay people to write these for you, like it's worth it.And I was like, thanks, dude. Like I write them out. so, yeah, I will draft it. Like I can draft a thousand words pretty fast. It'll just be a mess. Like it takes me four times as long to edit versus a good editor is like, can he edit and half an hour? What would take, take him four hours to write it? And it would take me, you know, four hours to edit it.So, I try to just get out that kind of concept draft quickly on Friday Forward. I usually get one, get one big edit back and then we'll do one or two reds on tweaking. It's kind of like, it just meant, like I write it on Sunday or Monday, Tuesdays edit day Wednesday, we set it up. It needs to go out by, 1:00 PM on Thursday.Cause that's 7:00 AM. New Zealand on Friday, I which is the first, the first 7:00 AM. so, that's the process on Friday Forward on other things I I've actually with the editor sort of embrace the scribe process. So, so like I did that this morning, which is, I said, look, here's an article.I think we should write. Here's the title kind of intro concept, main three points and I'll, I'll bullet it all out and I'll say, we need, we need a data point on this or that. And I may even like audio record. A minute on it and then they'll draft it up for me and actually works really well. and in terms of, cause sometimes it's like, I think this is the point we want to make, but let's see if we can find a stat that backs this up.So they're always, my idea is it's always my, you know, you know, framework, but I I've always leaned heavily on editors because I can spit out a lot quickly. And then to say, can you please take this mess and help me clean it up a little bit?Nathan: [00:23:21]Yeah. how do you go about finding an editor for that? Like you obviously have an editor that you've had a long long-termRobert: [00:23:28]Yeah. I've worked with different people. I, it takes about six months, I think to really get one of the things I would suggest is if you start working with the editor is really used track team. And this is like the same thing at delegation. Like when I would change something, I would explain why I was changing it.Right. Like I never used say always and never in my writing. I don't want to say anything that can be disproven. Right. So I would always like go the ex like I make comments about why would like never use, like, if you can use such as right. so try to develop those rules so that as they're editing, they really like understand my tone and my language. and that sounds awful.Nathan: [00:24:08]Does that end up going into a, you know, a standard operating procedure for how to write light bulb?Robert: [00:24:15]I think so. I haven't seen it, but I actually think they have it, but that's, I, I should check that, that we have that, but yeah, it probably has sort of like a, whatever those guides are, those standardized guides, right. Of like re what is the Bob ism? And it's not proper English or grammar. It's just, it's funny.I always feel like, you know, something, this is a delegation, you know, something by God, but when someone forces you to explain it, what it is, it's actually really helpful from a training standpoint. Like, I don't like the sentence. Well, why? Because it says something that can be disproven. Right. So then, then you realize, oh, that's really the, that's really the core thing that the editor could, could learn from.Nathan: [00:24:53]Okay. So I have to ask you about saying something that can be disproven. Like there's other writers that would be really trying to have like concrete statements, you know, and all that. So why, why are you on the other side of, of trying to specifically avoid that?Robert: [00:25:08]Well there's opinion, in fact, right? So your opinion can be argued, but I don't like to say, like, I think, for example, let's say, I said like, you know, all email marketing, CRM companies, like make this mistake right. Or make this same mistake. Well then, you know, Nathan comes along and publishes an article and says, we absolutely don't that.Right. I could write an opinion that says, you know, I think the vast majority, like, or something like, but, but, but actually I think it actually hurts your credibility. If you state something as an absolute, that someone can disprove that you can have a theory, you can have an opinion, you've got whatever they have can be disproven.Like for example, I have a, an opinion that you should never make counteroffers like in, in a business now. but if I said that counter offers never worked. That would be, someone would be like no work and I'd be like, no, but actually you're proving my point. They work one out of 10 times. and so my point is that, why would you do anything that works one out of 10 times?What you're all going to do is you're going to tell me about those one out of 10, and you're never going to talk about the nine out of 10. So we just do it as a rule because we know it has a 10% acceptance rate. So that's the difference between stating that as like a fact that that is a proof point versus an opinion.Nathan: [00:26:23]That makes sense. I'm tracking with that. Cause people always latch on to like, oh, let me find the one exception to prove you wrong.Robert: [00:26:29]Correct. They'll attack back and then there'll be right, because they'll post they'll find the thing. Like here's an example of what's, like I even said, I knew it was going to happen and it was actually kind of funny, but in one of my Friday Forwards, I was talking about progress and like innovation. I was like, look, if you're the best run horse and buggy shop in America, you know, you probably don't have a great business.And so of course, someone sends me this horse and buggy shop in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in Amish country. I'm like, yeah. And do it. I know there's like two of them, but like that wasn't the, that wasn't the point of the article.Nathan: [00:27:00]Yeah. that, makes sense. I want to ask about is the PR side, like how, cause you talked about in the early days. Getting some, like the, the newsletter mentioned in different press publications, stuff like that. What is your PR strategy? How does that fit into the growth of it? Or is it all just kind of organic and, and whatever comes.Robert: [00:27:21]Yeah, we we've tried PR over the time. What's interesting is that we have found that a lot of the PR in our industry has not been very valuable. Like it's just people know it's our industry. If they want to talk about our industry, they'll find us. They'll include us in something like, it's not, it's still not a widely discuss thing, but, but actually these other stories tend to get picked up more like Acceleration Partners does a pay $500 to, for people to go on vacation and not check their email.Right. Or, you know, founder wrote this email and now 200,000 people read it. So, so it's actually some of these other things that have gotten us kind of more, I'm still not convinced you can, it's really hard to measure any of this stuff. So I'd rather get it organically, you know, do an hour. No. What wastes my time that to pay someone five or $10,000 a month to, to not actually be able to.Measure what, what we're getting from that, I I've continually been disappointed with our corporate PR efforts, unless they are super targeted on an award and industry thing or something like that. You just, you know, if someone writes about how our industry is changing and we are changing, our industry is the wall street journal cover story.Like that's going to help our business. But every article where Robert Glazer weighs in with one line, like we operate in partner performance, outcome marketing. So I'm always thinking about how is someone going to go from that article to researching my business, the buyer they're never going to like it.So it might make us feel good that my name was in there, but I had to bet any amount of money that this would lead to business. The answer is no.Nathan: [00:29:02]Okay, that makes sense. And that's kind of the way that I've thought about it as well. And I've seen these like ancillary things we picked up so much moreRobert: [00:29:09]Yeah, and those, those are free, right? You almost just get those from doing this stuff and people hearing about the policy at your company or, or, you know, people writing about this really cool thing that, you know, convert kids doing. And then someone says, oh, I need a new email company. So I like what they're doing.And I respect that. Right. Versus like, again, if you tried to pitch the wall street journal on email marketing stories, I think you'd be, you know, wildly underwhelmed with the results that you'd probably get.Nathan: [00:29:38]Yeah.Robert: [00:29:38]I also think people had a really hard time in the last 24 months getting any PR any mass market TV PR outside of things related to the election, social justice.And COVID right. It's anyone I've known as launched a book has had no success with mass market PR in the last 24 months. They just can't get them to talk about this stuff.Nathan: [00:30:02]Yeah. So speaking of books and courses, you've got a few of each, and I'm curious, like when you set out to write a book or produce a course, what's the, what's the thing that you're optimizing for in that? Like, is itRobert: [00:30:17]Probably probably a good question to ask for before I, started on that process. yeah, so I I'm optimizing really for my sort of why and purpose, which is to like share ideas that help people in organizations grow. That's, that's sort of my core purpose. That's why when I figure out something I kind of wanna like crowdsource it.So, I'm thinking about what makes, you know, the, the, the impact, I think, as you know, like, and I've read a bunch of your stuff, like a book is sort of. The top of the tent, but really like if you're not, Lane's not like Tim Ferriss or Malcolm Gladwell or Danielle Steele, like you're just not going to make a living off of, off of, writing books.And so if you do want there to be something that is more revenue generating, generating under that, then you've got to have sort of a logical thing that, that comes next then, you know, in talking to a lot of people and back to that sort of teaching thing, realizing that also the thing about books is particularly a global books, which might like I get the data six months later.Like I work in affiliate where we get everything real time around the world, and then the book data that you get six months later. so it's been really interesting about courses is that, Look, if a book changed someone's life, they might still not pay $30 more for me to, if I told you there was an app that was $9, you'd be like, oh God, a $9 app, but you'd go buy a $14 IPA, you know, this afternoon.No problem. So something about book has a limiting price structure and, and, and if you work with a publisher, you're going to make like a buck or two a copy. so, but, but, but a a hundred dollars course sounds reasonable or a $500 course sounds reasonable. The margins are great and you get all of the data, you know, in real time.So, and I think the most important thing, and look, I learned this from the pandemic a little bit, and, and, and DTC. So think about the restaurants during the pandemic. So there were restaurants that had loyalty programs, knew their customers, all this stuff could reach out to them, could let them know that they were doing delivery.They were doing wholesale drops your kids. There are other restaurants that were packed every day of the week, who had no idea. They know you need the, Hey, Nathan, but I don't know how to, how to get in touch with Nathan. Right? So, so I think it's critical these days, whether it's a course, a download or something, like if someone loves your book and your content, like you want a direct connection to that person, as best as you can.Nathan: [00:32:45]Yeah. And I mean, we saw that all across the board, in the pandemic of like, it kind of flipped, which businessesRobert: [00:32:51]Right?Nathan: [00:32:51]Well, and there were a lot that we're doing.Robert: [00:32:53]The businesses that knew their customers were like 10 X better off than the businessesNathan: [00:32:58]Yeah, for sure. So when we think about putting out a course, the question that I have on, on the revenue side is right. You run a substantial business already. And so how do you think about it? W, the revenue from courses, is that, is that meaningful? Is that just like, you're trying to get the ideas out there and it's nice to get paid for it so that it pays back the production costs or is that like actually, a revenue stream that you track and are interested in growing?Robert: [00:33:25]I think it's a little bit B plus C like in terms of like one of the things people don't realize, I think people will get used to Friday for being free. You know, other stuff like I, you know, I offered when people bought the book, I think this is the creator conundrum of, of sometimes like, you know, I offered either you bought the nine, nine, said he booked during launch week, or you bought the full price, audio book or whatever book.And I gave you the $8 course for free. So of course I had three people, you know, say if I buy the 99 cent ebook, will you give me the $80 course for free? I've been delivering value to you for like three years. Like it's too much to ask for like $5. Like it's just sort of, you know, it's insulting at the end of the day.So, I think it's, I think it's important to establish, Pete Vargas has sort of influenced me on this a little bit in terms of the, you know, w w w what is the sort of one to many versus done with you versus one-to-one? I think there's an assumption that you are just out there doing this, you know, and available for anything I'm in and people asking me, can you come talk about this to my forum?Can you come do this? And then it's like, you don't kind of ask a lawyer for free legal advice. So, so I do think it is important to sort of establish like, Hey, the book might be X, but, you know, speaking has a price. This has a price. The content has sort of price. Yeah, I'm not, I'm not looking to retire on it, but I would like to cover the costs of a lot of, you know, and there's a lot of costs and a content produce content produce a podcasts.But, over time, that would be a good income stream to have, like, to me, it's the win-win, is there something I can deliver to people of real value that they can get, like the core value, of course, when they come out of that and they see that was life changing and you know, that can also be profitable.Like that would be great. because I think sometimes we have our profit and one place and our passion and the other, and I always say don't people are really jealous of the world or golfers because. The guy made $3 million and won the masters on Sunday. He just wants to go do the same thing on Monday.Right. So if you can, if you can add value, connect with people and they're happy to exchange like a fee for that, like then that's, that's sustainable. But I do think people sort of also get into that example. Don't underestimate like what it costs and just, you know, you have a couple of hundred thousand person email list and a podcast and this service, and then that's 10 bucks a month.Like the free newsletter could be a fair amount of money.Nathan: [00:35:54]Yeah. I mean, as the way I, that I know since the free newsletter is what drives my business,Robert: [00:36:00]Yeah.Nathan: [00:36:00]I know it can be quite a bit of money.Robert: [00:36:02]So if you own a newsletter company, so, you know,Nathan: [00:36:05]Yep, exactly.Robert: [00:36:07]Well, I thought I actually was reading some strategies last week on also people want to dialogue, they want to write, you know, me, it's like, it's a lot of people. Like I, I'm starting to envision what more of a premium community looks like. And again, to sort of bifurcate and say, I don't think I want to charge for the newsletter, but if you want to talk about this, if you want advice or otherwise, like, I can't, I, you know, for what I charge an hour for, like, I can't, like, I can't just be on the hook for everyone in the world to do that with them.So I I've, I've been open. Look, I'd be curious to your thoughts. I've been thinking about what is, what does that look like? I'm not sure I want to charge for the newsletter. but, but how do I have sort of a, a premium group of people who would like access or more dialogue and that, but, but that has to have some cost to it.Nathan: [00:36:52]Yeah, well, there's a lot of people doing this, with their newsletters. And so I think it's a good, a good model actually. there's a startup called circle, that I invested in another set of like basically making this it's effectively like community forums type software, but like a modern, modern version of it, and that works really well. Like here's the newsletter. And then if you want to pay a hundred dollars a year, $25 a month, like any, anything, any version of that, a couple of things you don't want to make a new treadmill for yourself, right? You have a treadmill that's working very well. I tried to not has a negative connotation.Friday Forward isRobert: [00:37:33]Yeah.Nathan: [00:37:33]For you. It's just a very effective treadmill. And so be careful to make another thing that you have to show up for and you have that obligation. Cause you don't want to end up hating that. And so I would really make it about the connection to other people. And when you show up, that's a bonus. because then people are like, who else reads Friday for who else is the biggest fan of Friday forRobert: [00:37:57]We tested it. Yeah. And we tested that. That's what we played around with, with a free Facebook group. So I think we were going down that route. So that was good. Good advice.Nathan: [00:38:05]And then, then you can show up and it's fun because it's not an obligation. And then, you know, you show up every week or every month or whatever, andRobert: [00:38:12]That's icing. Not, not cake.Nathan: [00:38:14]Yeah, exactly. So that's the biggest thing. and then I would charge enough, especially cause you're in the business market. Like whenever I see people putting these things out and it's like $5 a month, you know, orRobert: [00:38:26]Yeah.Nathan: [00:38:27]Even $10 a month, just like, that's not, that's not enough. Like I would probably be.Robert: [00:38:32]I would say by you need, buy-in like, I, I very rarely give away things for free, even if I would want to, because I think that person's not going to follow through. They're not going show up. I, I won't, I won't, I won't do speaking for free events for the most part, because I think the, you know, those people will tell you that there's 2000 people coming and they'll get 200 becauseNathan: [00:38:52]Right.Robert: [00:38:53]There's no, skin in the game.Nathan: [00:38:54]Yeah. So I would do something like $500 a year as the price point, because then people are saying like, okay, I'm committing for a year. it's like a substantial amount of money. You know, it's not quite an impulse buy. It sets the barrier, like the bottom end of who's going to, to sign up right. Someone who isn't going to pay $500 a year to like troll your community, you know? And so it also sends a signal to everyone, like, okay, people who do this are going to be going to be invested and also turn on, on like membership style. Content is super high compared to software and specific. You know, in that sense.And so going in annual plan is going to cut down on significant churn and you have time to deliver value. Whereas if you like, or the pay newsletter that's monthly or something like that,Robert: [00:39:43]Right. People don't get value for two months. They're on vacation and then they'll turn it off. Yeah.I mean, do you say if you got to pay this interest, I mean, I went through all these, I read all the articles and you probably have some good ones. If you go to paid, you probably got to cut your audience 90%.So, you could argue those are the people that, that, that, that, that really matter. but, again, I think it's more of like, what could you give the 10% that is above and beyond that rather than cuttingNathan: [00:40:07]Yep.Robert: [00:40:08]The 90%? Yeah.Nathan: [00:40:09]Yeah. And I think that's the way to go of adding something for, for the premiums side. I actually, yesterday launched a hobby paid newsletter. I made it just a hundred bucks one time, like a one-time payment. And really, I wanted to write about like, what creators should do after that. Made the bar set was $200,000 a year.Like I've doneRobert: [00:40:30]Yeah.Nathan: [00:40:30]Writing about how to get to that point and that everyoneRobert: [00:40:34]Yeah,Nathan: [00:40:34]Gets there, which is amazing, then they're like, what do I do now?Robert: [00:40:38]Or you should do like an NFT blockchain thing on it. So you sell a hundred, a hundred dollars subscriptions and that's all you're going to sell. Right. So then maybe they have like, they actually have to, you have to buy into it, right. If you want to get into, like, they could actually increase in value.Nathan: [00:40:52]That's right.Robert: [00:40:53]It's not this guy I've seen dumber ideas.Yeah.Nathan: [00:40:55]Oh man. I've seen so many dumb ideas and in crypto and blockchain, it's amazing, but, but it imaginally works. Okay. one thing that I want to talk about is more the intersection between your content and, and the company. and, and specifically as you spend your time, how do you think about, like, do you think about them as separate things and I'm, I'm askingRobert: [00:41:20]Never did before, you know, we're a little different now we bought on it, brought on an investment partner last year. And so like, I have to think about that a little differently versus like, Hey, it's all my world. And I do do what I want to. so, yeah, I, I do think about that.Like, for example, look, I just came out with this book. It's a bestseller. It's not about our business on how to thrive in a virtual workplace. you know, we're in a talent war right now. We've been doing virtual workforce as I'm sure you are in every other business in digital. We've been doing digital work for 10 years and now that remote work for 10 years, I think everyone's remote, like a big part of our positioning.We know how to do this. We've been doing this, you know, forever. and so, you know, I just drafted an article this morning, you know, the four questions to ask, you know, a potential employer about remote work. And, and so the premise is like, it's not all the same. Right? So that, so that's a helpful. Piece for the book.It's a helpful piece for our company and a value proposition. I always said to people, we, we do this a lot internally for our company writing. If you're asked something four or five times, write an article about it, right. Even better publish that on Forbes so that when a candidate comes to us and says, how are you different, you know, from a remote, then you say, well, here's the Inc article about the four questions you should ask, all companies.And I've given this tip to a lot of companies, my financial advisor, I'm like, look, you get asked it four times, you, right. Article, you have it published somewhere. And people are like, oh, like this person. Yeah, that's what they're talking about. Like, it doesn't sound like you're making it up on the, on the spot.And then all those things are our thoughts. So I do, I keep different lists where I'm like, this is kind of a Friday Forward article. So this is a industry head on, you know, why partner the marketing is going to be the next wave of digital marketing. And then there's this stuff that's in between around like it has some company value, it has some value outside.And I think that's sort of like, you know, in PR we're not paying for it. So that's sort of like the PR that we don't know what the value is, but we're also not paying for it. So we'll try to measure it as best we can.Nathan: [00:43:30]Yeah. I love that approach of having like for getting clients or in this case. The thing that we're all trying to do is, is get cus or not customers get team members, right. recruiting is the biggest thing that we're doing and you're right.Like we used to have this huge advantage of being. You know, I don't know what the stats were, but certainly not even one in 10 companies being remote, remote friendly, and now it's like, oh, it's a hundred percent, so, right.So you're not thatRobert: [00:43:56]But, but you and I both know that they're all just selling people. Oh, you can come work remote, but like, it's very different for a whole company that's built around that versus this whole teams in LA you're in rural Pennsylvania. You're gonna be zooming, you know, when they, when they pitch on this, I think this is like the difference in college and like difference between rushing a fraternity or sorority, and then pledging what, you know, it's like, they're selling you on a vision.I'm not sure that visions get turned out to be true in a lot of companies, but it's going to take awhile for people to figure that out. So yeah, we want, it's good for us that people to read that, ask those questions, know how we would answer them. I think you should always be publishing that sort of content around your, that, that strengthens your employee value proposition. Aall that stuff,Nathan: [00:44:38]Yeah. I love that of specifically putting it, like placing the content somewhere else. Like we have that content on our site. it's soRobert: [00:44:46]Right.Nathan: [00:44:46]To link out to it and be like, well, I mean, you didn't have to say like, here's the article that I wrote for ANC. You know, you can say like,Robert: [00:44:52]Right. called me and I said, here's some really good content for your weekly Inc column. Like, do you want to write an article about this? And I'd be like, yeah, that's a perfect day. Right? I mean, this is, this is how the world works. And then you point to the coverage. I mean, this is, this is, this is how the world works.Nathan: [00:45:06]Yes. All the, all the strings behind the scenes.Robert: [00:45:09]Yeah. So I'll expect to request from you nextNathan: [00:45:11]Yeah. I'll have to think about what that is specifically, but, but yeah. We'll make it happen. let's see, what else did I want to ask you about? Oh, let's talk about company culture. That's something I'm trying to think of. If and I had met before we did a panelRobert: [00:45:25]I think we met like, literally on that panel, likeNathan: [00:45:28]Yeah.Robert: [00:45:29]That's how we met.Yeah,Nathan: [00:45:31]Yeah, it's a topic that we're both super passionate about you at one point, I don't know if this is still true, like things are in flux. You were the number one rated CEO on Glassdoor for aRobert: [00:45:43]I think I was, I was, Number two, for one year.Nathan: [00:45:47]To number one. That's disappointingRobert: [00:45:48]No, no. We got to number one and it's very hard to stay up there. my experience, and I think I was given this experience to share to, someone who's in one of my farms last night, whose company is about a hundred people winning all these cultural awards.And I said, just be ready. Like, you're about to hit. I can tell you, like, when you went all these things and whatever, you, you hit this point where then the people who are upset in any way, like, you know, make it their mission to to be heard. what,Nathan: [00:46:17]Oh,Robert: [00:46:17]Yeah.Nathan: [00:46:17]The, now you're at like, you have this,Robert: [00:46:19]You're you, now that you have all these things, you are going to be a target and it's going to frustrate you.And you're going to now start getting the negative reviews on Glassdoor and stuff, because you've put yourself on a really high pedestal and somehow someone's going to be unhappy or whatever, and they are going to want to make sure that the world knows that you are not perfect. which no one really is, but I was giving him the speech last night because he's, the company is great and they have an amazing culture and the winning, all these words, I'm like it's coming.I, I, you know, we look a similar approach. Like I don't, I don't think. That we are the best place to work in the world for everyone. I think that a great culture is when, what you do, what you say and what you think say and do are in alignment. And, and every company has a unique value proposition. I say, it's like universities, right?The university of, I don't say Michigan, like 50,000 person campus, very different than a small liberal arts school in may and a 500 person in the class. They could both be great schools, but they are appealing to totally different demographics. They're clear about their value propositions and they go with that.And I think the best thing a company can do is, you know, say what it does, but I don't think any company's great for, for anyone. You know, our, our job is to figure out the, we found it's about less than 2% of the people that are really good match for, you know, our culture and how we work and our industry, our, our environment.Nathan: [00:47:42]How do you, like, what are some of the things that you use specifically Acceleration Partners to, to, filter for that or did to put out there? Like these are the types of people that should apply and that would find it a good fit.Robert: [00:47:52]I know there's a lot of controversy around kind of this cultural fit thing, particularly around a lot of DNI initiatives. To me, this is like a vernacular thing. W no companies should be looking for carbon copies like of everyone. And I understand if that's like the fit, but I, I believe, and as I think you do a cultural fit, I think this is true with your spouse, with your community, with your company, which is like on these big principles, like we're pretty aligned.It doesn't mean we're the same. We have the same hobbies. We have the same way of thinking. But like, you have, like, as I, as I said, like, if you start a church group on Sunday mornings, you don't want a rabid atheist in that group. That's not why you're there to do that. Like arguing with you about everything.Like there can be a group for that person and that's fine. But for that purpose, like that's not, that's not the point of it. Yeah. And I think like if your company has some core things that believes in, like, it's not looking for a homogeneous group of people, but like you have to be aligned around those things.And each company is, should really be different and it should be. Value proposition. Like we, we look we're, we're a virtual company. We're, we're a marketing agency. We deal with really fast client services. Like that's not for everyone. if you like consensus, decision-making where you have a lot of time to do that.Like we're not the right environment for you. Clients want action. They want fast. So we, we, we interview for cultural fit. And again, I'll use the word, even though I know it's a trigger point for some people, cultural alignment, I will say not, not, not. And, and then aptitude to do the job. So the cultural part, we have a whole bank of behavioral based interview questions around our core values, and then examples of what a good answer sounds like or a bad answer.So I'll give you one, I always say, look, if people are interviewing and they do the research to find all these questions, and that's the kind of person we want to hire, but Excel and improve is one of our core values. We are, we, we, we, we move quickly voracious learners. Like we need people that like that.So if I said, Nathan, what's a, what's a book you read, or of course you've taken or something you've done to get better in the last couple of years. And you come up with crickets, like you're you can't come up with anything that you tried to do to get better in the last couple of years. Like probably not a, not a, great fit for our environment.Nathan: [00:50:11]Yeah. And I think in that. I mean, you talk about culture, fit people, say culture, contribution, any of those things it's important to talk about or or make it clear that we're talking about values. We're not talkingRobert: [00:50:24]Yes,Nathan: [00:50:25]Like backgrounds, like, let me go find someone who went to theRobert: [00:50:29]No.Nathan: [00:50:30]I did or anything like that.We're talking about someone who says, like it's trying to achieve the sameRobert: [00:50:33]Right.Nathan: [00:50:34]And,Robert: [00:50:35]You agree on the same again, if you're a partner with someone and you don't have this share overlapping the same values, there's no way that relationship will work out because it means when you get to the big things, you're, you're not you're in discord, over those things. So, so get our value of own it.There are just some people. Again, I can see it early on and they're like, look, this thing got screwed up. Here's what I could have done better. Here's I'm going to share the learnings of that. Right. And then other people who want to duck and hide, and, and if, if you're at this company and you're someone who doesn't have that mentality of just owning it, like it, it it's really going to clash with the thing, but right.That is not a personality trait. It is not a, it is not an, it is not a gender. It is not a race. It is sort of, a belief set, about the type of organization that you want to be in.Nathan: [00:51:30]Are there anything that you're specifically looking to be challenged on or as you hire people? Right. We talked about culture contribution,Robert: [00:51:38]Yeah.Nathan: [00:51:38]In that side.Maybe you're seeing things in the, in the values that aren't being represented as well as you'd like in the current team where you're actually seeking out people to, to, either challenge value, maybe not challenge the value, but challenge the team and the execution or the value.Robert: [00:51:55]Yeah, so, so right now we've been open with a company about this. We're super open about feedback. We have these discussions openly. I think for some people that haven't been in environment anymore, it's like a little getting used to, but so we have this value of Excel and improve, which is like excellence is doing things really well, but you always have to be improving them.We've been over indexing on excellence and not improvement. I think people have been a little too process oriented and they had just not had, we're not taking the smart and the calculated risks. So, we talked this through with a company and we're like, Like co like making a mistake, not following a compliance process, making a mistake for getting to do it.That's not good trying something new that doesn't work, but knowing that it wasn't going to put you out of business or whatever, that is good. That's what we need. That's enough. Like failing to perform a compliance check is, is just a failure to follow a process. But we did have an open discussion that like, it feels like process is winning out over innovation, and we need to really get on the improvement side.And I think what you'll find is that when you're implicitly or explicitly rewarding as an organization is what's getting attention. And I think we were celebrating two minutes too much that people that were doing things well and not the people that were taking smart risks.Nathan: [00:53:10]Yeah, that makes sense. I'm reading, which I probably should have read a long time ago, but the book Turn the Ship Around, and he's talking about, you know, so it's a submarine captain, who went through a lot of this and, and they had it, you know, obviously every single process, like down you, but it was all about not making mistakes, like under no circumstances, will you make a mistake?Robert: [00:53:33]On a nuclear sub that maybe is really important,Nathan: [00:53:36]Yeah. but he got of like, there, they got so focused on that, that they like kind of lost critical thinkingRobert: [00:53:43]Yeah.Nathan: [00:53:43]That they weren't like the differentiation that you're trying to make of the type of mistake. Right. Like messing up the nuclear reactor. That's a, like the complianceRobert: [00:53:54]Well, there's a commission and a mission, like the whole VW diesel scandal happened because the CEO was so intolerant of mistakes. When then they found out that the engine didn't deliver the promise emissions and EPG that he had promised for two years, they were like, we got to cover this up because he's going to fire us all.So, they used all of their German engineering, like with battery to figure out how to cheat the whole system rather than solve the problem. so it was a classic example. Yeah. You want, yeah. A mistake, like trying something new, understanding the consequences if it doesn't work. And that is not a mistake, that's aNathan: [00:54:36]right?Robert: [00:54:36]Right If every night at 12 o'clock, you're supposed to check the boiler temperature and you fall asleep and forget it. Like that's a mistake. Like that's a mistake you need to fix.Nathan: [00:54:46]Yeah. Yeah. Are there some, as you adopt that, like, can you model that for the team? Are there areas that you're pushing yourself or, like challenging to make those kinds healthy mistakes or take the risks that, you know, show the learning and growth?Robert: [00:55:05]Yeah, I think it's less of, I think it's coaching it and modeling it. We've actually like again, tried to coach our team. Like, here's how you can think about this. Here's how you should think about like, what's a mistake that you have permission to make. One of the things that was really helpful shared with the team when someone shared this picture of a boat.So, with a water line and like, look the below the water line stuff is going to sink the boat. Right. We kind of really don't want to make those mistakes. And in client services, I think it's hard because mistakes are publicly facing. So I think it's actually even harder to like put someone on their first call and have them say the wrong thing, because then you got some cleanup to do, but to, to get photos, like, look this stuff, that's above the water. That's not going to stink the ship. Like let's make them learn from them, not make them again. What we really need you to do is like watch the water line basically.Nathan: [00:55:54]Yeah, that makes sense. Okay. Last thing that I'm curious about is your shift going from here, right? You brought on a partner like investment the business. It sounds like you're freeing up even more of your time to do content and, and like be an individual creator in that way. Like where do you go from here? What are the next things that you're, you're putting time into?Robert: [00:56:15]Yeah. So, you know, I have a, a long time, number two, who's really assumed most of the operational control over the business. Last couple of years, we've always operated that way. I actually think, you know, that we operate on the traction kind of U S model that like, a well-run fast growing business needs someone who, you know, it comes up with 10 crazy idea. These needs the visionary role, and it needs the integrator role, the person who keeps the train on the track and then the person who figures out where,

♡Happy Wednesday friends! Today on the podcast, we are joined by the incredible author, Teri Wilson! We chat how reading her Grandmother's Danielle Steele novels guided her into becoming a romance reader. We chat about her journey into writing romance novels of her own (& how she didn't recognize that's what she was writing at the time). We chat two of her 2021 releases, The Trouble with Picket Fences which released as part of Harlequin's Special Edition series and Once Upon a Royal Summer, which was published with Hallmark publishing. We hope you enjoy the episode. ♡ Teri has an incredible website! Check it out, here. To follow her on Facebook, click here. To keep up with her via Instagram, click here. To find Teri's books on Mills & Boon UK, click here. To find Teri's books on Mills & Boon Australia, click here. To find Teri's books on the Harlequin website, click here.   Click here for our linktree!   This podcast is engineered by Sincere Alexander and contains music from Lukrembo

Dan dos Santos has been a professional artist for over two decades and has been an Illustrators of the Future Judge since 2019. You will have certainly recognized his art if you are a book reader – from Dan Brown, Danielle Steele, and Patricia Briggs, to Brandon Sanderson, Diana Rowland, and JK Rowling. He has worked for clients such as Disney, Universal Studios, Activision, Boeing Aircraft, Scholastic Books, Random House, and DC Comics. And we have a wonderful time discussing tips for aspiring artists or for people interested in learning more about art and the importance of art education for a career in art.

Dan dos Santos has been a professional artist for over two decades and has been an Illustrators of the Future Judge since 2019. You will have certainly recognized his art if you are a book reader – from Dan Brown, Danielle Steele, and Patricia Briggs, to Brandon Sanderson, Diana Rowland, and JK Rowling. He has worked for clients such as Disney, Universal Studios, Activision, Boeing Aircraft, Scholastic Books, Random House, and DC Comics. And we have a wonderful time discussing tips for aspiring artists or for people interested in learning more about art and the importance of art education for a career in art.

Savage Superstar Ethan Metzger hosts this week’s excellent episode! Annie and David of Quiz Quiz Bang Bang take on Ken and Neal in a hilarious episode. This episode contains marketable ideas, will Danielle Steele your heart, and make it poop to be square. Which team will rise to the top? UNICEF Fundraiser Details: https://www.quizbangpod.com/unicef/ Supporters: https://www.trivialitypodcast.com/the-cream-of-the-crop/ Support us Directly: www.Patreon.com/TrivialityPodcast Please RATE, REVIEW, and SUBSCRIBE on iTunes or your preferred podcast app! Follow us on social media, and support the show on Patreon for great perks! www.TrivialityPodcast.com www.Facebook.com/TrivialityPod www.Twitter.com/TrivialityPod Want to hear your trivia question during an episode? Send us question to the email: TrivialityPodcast@Gmail.com with the subject QUESTION 5 and a host’s name (Ken, Matt, Neal, or Jeff). We will read one listener submitted question per round. [New Episodes Every Tuesday] © Triviality – 2021  

It was truly a juicy time to be alive: it was the early '90s and the tabloids were flooded with coverage from the Menendez brothers trial, the Tanya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan scandal, Mary Kay Letourneau's repeated offenses, O.J. Simpson, and the ongoing saga of John Wayne Bobbitt's severed penis at the hands of his wife, Lorena. The gut-wrenching details of abuse are pouring out in court, fueling the defense's claim that Lorena was experiencing an "irresistible impulse" to cut her husband's dick off after finally being pushed to her limit. Join us this week as we rub elbows with alleged carpet baggers and poachers, join 1990s America in laughing at John Wayne in a thong, and lots more! Tune in! 

Today I am chatting with Adriana Locke. I discovered Adriana’s writing over the holiday break and I absolutely loved it. She knows how to write about found family, fake dating and enemies to lovers. In this interview, we chat about writing in the pandemic, what inspired Adriana to write romance and we dive into fun book recommendations.    BOOKS RECOMMENDED: The Relationship Pact by Adriana Locke  Amazon  / Bookshop  Danielle Steele  Amazon / Bookshop  Reputation by Adriana Locke Amazon / Bookshop  Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James Amazon / Bookshop Landry Family Series by Adriana Locke Amazon / Bookshop Meghan Quinn Amazon / Bookshop Ilsa Madden Mills Amazon / Bookshop Written in the Scars by Adriana Locke Amazon / Bookshop Jessica Hawkins Amazon Something in the Way by Jessica Hawkins Amazon / Bookshop Jana Aston Amazon  Cityscape Affair by Jessica Hawkins Amazon / Bookshop K. Bromberg Amazon  Emily Goodwin  Amazon  Wrong by Jana Aston Amazon / Bookshop 44 Chapters about 4 Men by B.B. Easton Amazon / Bookshop Lucky Number 11 by Adriana Locke    Amazon    CONNECT WITH ADRIANA LOCKE Instagram Facebook Group  Website   SUPPORT THE WHAT TO READ NEXT PODCAST! If you’re enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.  Or you can subscribe to the show on Spotify. Spread the love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends   JOIN PATREON COMMUNITY  Get weekly romance recommendations, early access to author interviews, monthly meetups and exclusive Patreon audio series by joining the Patreon community. Sign up today; http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com/patreon   ETSY SHOP ALERT- QUEEN BEE READS   Romance lovers: check out Queen Bee Reads Etsy Shop for cute & comfortable bookish apparel! Use code: WHATTOREAD10 to save! http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com/queenbeereads   FROLIC PODCAST NETWORK  What to Read Next Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts!    AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE If you purchase a book through my Amazon or Bookshop link, I will receive a commission at no cost to you that will help cover the cost of the podcast    CONNECT WITH LAURA YAMIN  WhattoReadNextBlog.com Instagram  Goodreads

ONE HUNDRED EPISODES! You’ve seen us through Immortals After Dark, through Books that Blooded Us, and through a presidential election, so if there was any doubt that you’re stuck with us, put that right out of your mind! We love you so much for listening…and we hope you have as much fun listening to this episode as we had recording it!Thanks to Tracey Livesay, Andie J Christopher, Kate Clayborn, Christina Lauren, Adriana Herrera, Nisha Sharma and Joanna Shupe for joining us, and to Steve Ammidown for popping in to say hi! Next week, we have an interstitial coming, and the following week, we’re back on read alongs with Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game! Get it at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple or at your local indie via bookshop.org.Show NotesIn between when we recorded and when you're listening, something great happened. How did Hollywood Squares work? What did the theme song sound like? What does Whoopi Goldberghave to do with it?Fated States will be back! One of our dedicated phone bankers and the head of the OSRBC-IAD book discussion, Caroline, had an amazing experience when she was phone banking the week before the election. And we are not at all jealous about her amazing gift basket from Kresley Cole! Check out Milla Vane on the Wicked Wallflowers podcast. Andie Christopher hosts Drunk Romance History on her Instagram feed every Saturday and it’s hilarious. Sarah joined her Saturday after a full day of Election drinking to talk Suddenly You.Do you know the book where a wave causes accidental penetration for a couple on a beach? NEITHER DO WE! Here’s the link to all the slides for Fuck, Marry, Kill and Would Derek Craven. And here are all the Title Smash slides. We invented a holiday. No big. We love Philadelphia. Gritty was an unexpected hero of the 2020 election. Now you know all about the Philadelphia Left. The Danielle Steele thread from Steve Ammidown at the Browne Pop Culture Library. We really need to talk about the 80s blockbusters The Thorn Birds, Clan of the Cave Bear, and Flowers in the Attic (and powdered donuts).It was Buffy and Spike in the mausoleum, not Buffy and Angel.We can't find the TikTok of Paul Rudd and his son, but instead we'll discuss if anyone knows where Michael J. Fox got his cloning machine? We’ll leave you to contemplate the whole “hero pooping” theory on your own, but we all know for sure that Elvis poops.

THURSDAY - Talking it out with the election. The Latino vote in south Florida. Healing as a country. Russ locks himself out of the Zoom call. RRR - Most streamed movie of 2020 so far. Rules for the RV. SNL this weekend. Whats the difference between a skipper and a Captain? What are you an expert on or in? Traveling. Monster Sports - ORLANDO CITY. The record shop. K.O.D. - We are saying it wrong. Little story about grandma. Angelique vs Celebs.

All these were descendants of Asher—heads of families, choice men, brave warriors and outstanding leaders. 1 Chronicles 7:40  I saw an interesting question from a friend on Facebook today and it had me thinking of the perspective of everything I read. The question was:  “Men, what are your thoughts about reading books by women?  There was more to her question but that one sentence stopped me to think when was the last time I heard a man recommend a book written by a female author.  Then I started asking myself what perspective do I read the books from? Whether I am reading a self-improvement book, Christian living, leadership or the bible, how I identify with the author can dictate how much I buy into the ability for me to have the transformation promised in the book.   Early on in my married life I would read Danielle Steele novels, I was hooked, I would sit and read a complete book in one sitting. This did absolutely nothing for the upkeep of my home. I began to feel guilty after arguing with my husband over why the house was so trashed. So I would barter with myself, I can read a chapter after I clean up the breakfast dishes, I can read another chapter after I start a load of laundry and dust, I can start another chapter after I clean the bathrooms. The house was getting cleaned my husband was not happy but a little more satisfied. I was miserable, being jerked back to the reality of snotty noses, baby diapers, fixing dinner, and cleaning…. None of the characters in the stories I read had to put up with this. Why couldn’t my husband be like the romantic love interest in the story I was reading? See, when you read a book, any book it has the ability to transform you and transport you to another place and time, but when you stop reading you are still right back where you were when you started unless you are moved to action.  Why did those Danielle Steele novels speak to me? Because she was a woman writing about the things many women long for, but very seldom talk about. However, I cannot tell you one man I know of that has read a Danielle Steele novel. There are very few that will admit they have read Emily Dickens or Maya Angelou.  All my life I have been told that the Bible is THE LIVING BREATHING WORD of GOD, as much as I believe that today when my friend asked that question I began to think there are some ways that I feel the Bible does NOT apply to me as a woman. I was feeling a little uninspired as I began flipping through the Bible reading about Warriors and I came across 1 Chronicles 7:40 All these were descendants of Asher—heads of families, choice men, brave warriors and outstanding leaders.  When you read that as a woman, first thing I notice it says is “Choice Men”. I was about to be dismissive of the verse and go on searching for something more along the lines of what I wanted to read about.  Please tell me I am not the only one who does this?  But anyway as I began to move on I felt God tell me to wait. Asking me how could there be so many descendants of Asher without women? It said these men were heads of families, that means they had women who handled everything while they were away at war. It said they were choice men, choice men only associated with choice women. Brave warriors you know what I am going to come back to this point….Outstanding leaders, one thing I know for sure is outstanding leaders raise everyone around them to be outstanding as well.  Going back to Brave Warriors, as a veteran, who is married to a veteran, I will tell you it is very difficult to serve during a time of war, I would never minimize the warrior mentality of a service member in the field. However, as a mom of a service member, and daughter of a police officer I also know that it takes a warrior mindset for those of us at home while our loved ones are serving on the battlefield.  Yet when I read this scripture there was even more that He whispered to me. That there are many women, maybe you are one of them who are standing strong as the head of their home. Women who are Choice women, and brave warriors and outstanding leaders.  In a verse that has over a dozen words, I was letting one small word disqualify the whole sentence and how it applied to me. What if instead I stopped and asked God to reveal to me how He wants me to see His word, and even more how He wants me to apply his word. Funny thing, when I was done reading the Bible today, I was not snapped back to the reality I started with, like when I read those empty romance novels. Instead I was transformed with a new warrior mindset by a God that loves me and knows me more intimately than any author could ever write about.  Let’s be mindful of what we are feeding our minds, our bodies and our souls so that we can be transformed from the inside out by our heavenly father.  Questions to Ponder:What are you reading?How is it moving you closer to or further away from your purpose? Do you have a Warrior Mindset?  

What do Prince, Andy Warhol, Oprah, Drake, Danielle Steele, Picasso, Beyonce, and the guy who invented Scientology all have in common?

This episode the ladies discuss best selling novelist Danielle Steele, her fascinating life, and work ethic and debut a brand new segment: What’s Love Got To Do With It, an interview with romance writer Chloe Liese. https://chloeliese.com/ https://morethanacrush.buzzsprout.com/https://www.instagram.com/morethanacrushpodcast/https://www.facebook.com/morethanacrushpodcasthttps://www.patreon.com/morethanacrushpodcastSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/morethanacrushpodcast)

Mary Ann Bohrer is a public relations consultant and author of a new book about gifted intuitives and the power of our own inner voice. Mary Ann has worked for some of the top PR firms in the world, including Ketchum Public Relations, Hill & Knowlton, and Rubenstein Associates, where she represented the author Danielle Steele, as well as many other clients. She was also the Director of Global PR for the pharmaceutical company Pharmacia & Upjohn and has been the president of Bohrer Public Relations for over a decade, representing numerous clients including Pfizer, the NFL, Home Box Office, Johnson & Johnson, the Miss America Organization, Children’s Miracle Network and the Pittsburgh Penguins. In addition to her public relations career, Mary Ann has become an expert on intuitive ability, and has authored a new book about highly gifted psychics and mediums, and the value of our own inner voice. Here is some background about how Mary Ann became an advocate for gifted intuitives, intuition and the power of our own inner voice. In 1997, one thousand days before the year 2000, Mary Ann held a press conference to promote a Millennium Clock that was counting down the days and minutes until the year 2000. The event, which was called the Millennium Festival, featured 24 highly gifted psychics and mediums who shared their Millennium predictions with over 75 journalists who came to cover the event, including The Wall Street Journal, Inside Edition, and CBS Evening News. The press event received national and global PR coverage, and Mary Ann became friends with a number of the intuitively gifted people who were at the event. These friendships inspired Mary Ann to write her new book, which celebrates highly gifted psychics, mediums, and our own intuitive ability.

Eric comes on the podcast, and the boys deliver a riveting, clean deleted scene from Danielle Steele's 'A Good Woman'. Hearts flutter, and souls are deeply moved. Subscribe and share 'Actors Worst Nightmare'! Check out recycledmindscomedy.com to learn more about Recycled Minds and improv! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jon-colett/support

Today Jackie reviews a book by Danielle Steele, Lost and Found: https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Novel-Danielle-Steel/dp/039917947X Find out more about Jackie's Books here: https://jackieadamssite.wordpress.com/

In Mini Episode 52, Sarah Verity Collica (@seize_the_page) and I talk about a couple books we have differing opinions about…plus, She Said vs. Catch and Kill. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). 2020 Podcast Survey I’d love it if you could take a couple minutes to complete the 2020 Podcast Survey. I’d love to hear your feedback about what’s working, what’s not working, and the direction you’d like to see the podcast take. I’ll be using this feedback as I plan for next Fall. And, your responses are anonymous! Highlights A couple books that Sarah C. and I had different opinions about. Sarah D’s issues with Liane Moriarty. The similarities and differences between Catch and Kill and She Said…and Sarah C’s favorite of the two. Ronan Farrow’s dispute with his publisher about Woody Allen’s memoir. A quick overview of the differences between publishers and imprints. Where Sarah D. goes for book reviews from regular readers vs. critics. Sarah D.’s speculation about the Transcendent Kingdom’s shifting publication date. Edelweiss benefits beyond just requesting e-galleys from publishers. Sarah’s Book Recommendations Two OLD Books She Loves Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld | Buy from Amazon [4:54] What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [8:42] Two NEW Books She Loves Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner | Buy from Amazon [14:04] Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow | Buy from Amazon [18:57] One Book She DIDN’T Love The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon | Buy from Amazon [] One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (Release Date: September 8, 2020) | Buy from Amazon [27:05]  Other Books Mentioned Pride & Prejudiceby Jane Austen | Buy from Amazon [5:04] You Think It, I’ll Say It: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [8:10] An American Wifeby Curtis Sittenfeld | Buy from Amazon [8:10] Rodhamby Curtis Sittenfeld (Release Date: June 30, 2020)| Buy from Amazon [8:10] Brain on Fireby Susannah Cahalan | Buy from Amazon [12:07] Hungry Heartby Jennifer Weiner (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [16:12] Big Summerby Jenifer Weiner (Out May, 2020) | Buy from Amazon [18:39] She Saidby Jodi Kantor and Meghan Twohey (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [20:05] Homegoingby Yaa Gyasi | Buy from Amazon [27:19] Other Links Episode 32: Cristina Arreola  “Publisher Drops Woody Allen’s Book After Ronan Farrow Objects, Employees Walk Out” (NPR) “Ronan Farrow Dumps Publisher Over Its Book Deal With His Father, Woody Allen”, (The Washington Post) Two articles mentioning a July 2020 publication date for Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom: Article 1, Article 2 About Sarah Instagram Sarah works full time for a summer camp and year-round retreat center. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband two daughters and two dogs. Sarah has been an avid reader since she was little and could often be found sitting in the corner at family events with a book or staying up late reading under the covers. She read Babysitters Club books until she was way too old and started stealing her mom’s Danielle Steele books when she was way too young.   Next Episode Spring 2020 Book Preview with Catherine from Gilmore Guide to Books (airing Wednesday, April 1). Support the Podcast Support on PatreonWhen you support the podcast on Patreon for $5/month, get bonus podcast episodes and other goodies! ShareIf you like the podcast, I’d love for you to share it with your reader friends…in real life and on social media (there’s easy share buttons at the bottom of this post!). Subscribe …wherever you listen to podcasts, so new episodes will appear in your feed as soon as they’re released. Rate and ReviewSearch for “Sarah’s Bookshelves” in Apple Podcasts…or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Awake 2 Oneness Radio with author Mary Ann Bohrer on Friday, February 21, 2020 at 7:00 PM EST. This program was pre-recorded. Mary Ann is a public relations consultant and author of The Gift Within Us about gifted intuitives and the power of our own inner voice. Mary Ann has worked for some of the top PR firms in the world, including Ketchum Public Relations, Hill & Knowlton and Rubenstein Associates, where she represented the author Danielle Steele, as well as many other clients. Just as the gifted intuitives in the book often get their profound messages from their guides, angels who are there to protect and guide them, we each have a connection to spirit – wise, loving spirits who are looking out for us and who want to lead us down the right path. Perhaps we don’t have the ability to communicate with these guides as clearly as highly gifted intuitives do, but this wise “inner voice” is there for us to access, if we choose to. Therefore, the purpose of this book is twofold: to get the word out that there are gifted intuitives to help us, and that it is good, and even important, to listen to your own inner voice. God, spirit, the universe, the greater good, our guides – whatever we choose to call it – wants us to succeed, to be happy – to learn what we need to in this life, and to fulfill our purpose. To learn more about Mary Ann visit her website: https://www.maryannbohrer.com/ 

Welcome back to the Block! Tap in and join Eli and DeeJay introduce the badass herself, Danielle Steele. Leading the way, especially for women, in the evolution of the cannabis industry, we deep dive in Danielle's background and history in this ever-growing industry as well as her brilliant work in special effects makeup art. On some gore shit! We have the fan-favorite "Not-So-Rapid" Rapid Fire Questions and also our Drop Top of our favorite Cannabis strains. Enjoy the Block and comment, like share and give us your own Drop Top on IG @tufblockpodcast Find our guests on IG: @Danielle_lees.makeup.420 @Razaelenation @tufele_ @monikkz_ 

The Midnight Boys are here to help you ring in the new year and blast off into space with Mission To Mars. Celebrate the holiday by listening in as they argue about De Palma and Rob uses his extensive NASA experience to teach us all about space travel. If you'd like to support our nonsense, join our patreon at https://patreon.com/themidnightboys.

An avid reader as a child, Jeannie Moon read everything she could get her hands on. As she grew, she added books by Danielle Steele and Judith Kranz to her library.  Married to her high school sweetheart, Jeannie lives in Long Island, NY with her husband and dogs and near her kids and grandbaby.  She's been a teacher and librarian for a collective thirty plus years and has added best-selling romance author to the list of accomplisments.  Her most recent release, All of Me, is the third book of her Compass Cove series.  You can find Jeannie at her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and BookBub.

Episode 13 Transcribed and Edited Hello and welcome to Warrior DIVAS | Real Talk for Real Women. I am your host; Angie Leigh Monroe and we are going to have a great show today. Not because it's going to be a great topic to talk about, but because the potential it can do for us if we just embrace this topic. So, before we get started, I just want to remind you that Warrior DIVAS is part of our DIVAS Impact organization and DIVAS Impact stands for Destined Inspired Victorious Accountable Sisters who are making an impact in the world we live in and you can find out more about us by going to DIVASImpact.com and when you go there, you can learn about our conference that's coming up in October, October 11 and 12th. You can learn about our magazine and how to subscribe to our magazine. You can submit articles for the magazine, you could submit blogs or read blogs on our website. And so much more is coming. So be sure to go to DIVASImpact.com and connect with us there. If you have any questions about the show today, if you have any input you want to give us, all of that goes through the DIVAS Impact website. So today, we're going to talk about unlocking some stuff. We're going to talk about stronghold, have you ever heard of a stronghold? A stronghold is something that holds you strong. I mean, it's very, very easy to dictate that the stronghold is more about what a prison is, something that holds you back from being able to do more, be more, see more, right? So, if you are in a locked up and held back, then you can't accomplish and do all that you're meant to do. Right? It's like, Okay, so my mom had shoulder surgery last month, her arm is in a sling. And when her arm is in the sling, she is limited on her movement her you she can do all she wants with this left hand, but there are some things that she needed both hands for that she can't do right now because that arm is locked down. For the time being, Yes, she can take it out of her sloft and do her exercises that she has to do to work out her arm, but she is still limited. So, strongholds are things that limit you. So, what we're going to talk about today is what my pastor friends and all that call the anatomy of a stronghold. Alright, so the anatomy of a stronghold has four components. It has the event. So, there may be an event that happened to you, maybe it happened to your parents, but you're still dealing with it. Maybe it was a trauma you experienced, maybe it was your parents’ divorce, maybe it was your divorce, maybe it was a sexual trauma, maybe it was the loss of a job, whatever it is, it's an event that happens in your life that kind of derails you for a little bit, right? And then what happens after that is after that event, we create a lie that we believe about that event. All right, so lots of times when I hear women come out of a divorce, they say that they are just unlovable. Well, that's a lie, because they have been loved. So therefore, they can be loved again, right? If they lose their job, they say, nobody wants them or their unemployable or something like that. Or if they've been sexually assaulted, it may be that they are just a trash receptacle. They feel like a trash receptacle; those are all things lies that people create about it. And you can either choose to believe the lie. And you may even inherit or embrace a lie that your parents believed before you, that's something that happens to and then sometimes you create other lies, and lies about others, because of the event. So, you see someone that acts in a certain way, and you automatically without knowing them without getting to know them, you automatically create a lie around them. And there's a reason you do this. And we'll talk about that here in a little bit. Or, and like we said, you believe there's nothing better for your life, because this is just the hand that you were dealt. I mean, does any of that resonate with some of you out there listening to today? Have you ever had something happened, and it just totally sent you into a mindset of, there's nothing better for me anymore? This is the best I will have ever had, the best I've ever been the rest of my life, I'm going to be less than I'm going to be subpar. I'm not going to be worth anything, I'm unlovable, I'm unemployable. Nobody wants me, nobody likes me. I mean, there's some of you out there that are big, strong, self - confident people. But you also still believe this, although you'd never let anybody else know, you believe this, but you never let anybody else know that you believe this about yourself. So, what we do when we hear, when we have those lies is we begin to build up defense mechanisms. Now, when my son was elementary age, we noticed he was having some problems reading, he kept telling me that the words were dancing on the screen, on the pages for him. And I sat in with the counselor, the Vice Principal, his teachers, the reading teacher, and all that stuff. And they had done all these tests on him by this time, he's in third grade. He's well into his learning how to read years. And he had built up some, some coping mechanisms, let's call them coping mechanisms to help him read, he still wasn't a strong reader, he still wasn't a good reader, he was still struggling, he was still below average on reading scores. But because he had built up those coping mechanisms, when he took the test, the standardization on the test showed that he was quote, unquote, borderline. Let me just tell you, nothing sets a mama bear off, like telling her that you can see there's a problem that their child may help but not being willing to help them. I slammed my hand right in the middle of that table. And I said, ladies, it's kind of like being pregnant. Either you are, or you aren't, this is a young man sitting in front of you begging for help. He needs help. And you're telling me because he's borderline, he probably won't qualify for it? Well, a lot of times, we come up with defense mechanisms, very similar to that, to where we can go in and out with people and act, quote unquote, somewhat normal. But when we get pushed, or we get challenges; challenged, our defenses come up. And it may come up in something that's more like passive aggressive or even passivity, you just avoid and go away from then turn into, you may be over analyzing the situation, and trying to bring reason to something that is just not reasonable. You may be what we call a BS or that's for blame shifting, you may be blame shifting. So instead of accepting blame that you need to do or you even accept blame, that should go somewhere else. See, you just thought it was all going to be about you right see it may be that you're accepting blame, that solely belongs on the person that caused trauma to you. Or you're not accepting blame for your part in what happened to you. I know this is going to strike a nerve with some of you that you may turn into a total control freak, because you didn't have control in that one part of your life. Now you tried to control every other part of your life and all the other people that are in your life. And what happens is that runs people off. My husband and I a few years ago had a conversation and you know, when a woman tells a man, we need to talk, the guy's eyes roll in the back of their head, and they're like, never has that term coming out of a woman's mouth ever ended well, right? Well, we had one of those talks, we started late at night and we rolled into about nine o'clock the next morning, it was just a good soul-searching gut-wrenching conversation. Even my husband will say today there was a lot more that came out of that conversation in our marriage, then in the previous 20 years of our marriage, combined. And you know, there's some things that happened to my husband's past and, and a lot of people have left him, a lot of people have taken care of themselves and just left him high and dry. And he has what I call, quote unquote, spiritual or psychological term would be abandonment syndrome. He has a fear of abandonment. All right. So, his reaction is he's going to walk away from you. He's going to cause something to cause the abandonment before you can abandon him. Right? So, he's always the one if something argument would happen, or a discussion would happen. He'd walk away first. Well, I've told you before in other podcasts, I'm a toe to toe fighter. So, I'll follow him, I don't care where he's walking through, I'll follow Him and we’ll continue it on, but he laid there on the bed that day. And even though I knew he had this fear of abandonment; it wasn't mine to call out and he laid there on the bed that day. He says, “I guess I just have a fear of abandonment”, and I'm going to tell you, I said, “well, nope ****, Sherlock. We all know that already. Let's reveal something new.” Right? Well, that's another thing. Another thing that we do whenever we get caught up in these strongholds, and we start to build our defense mechanisms is we start rejecting other people and pushing them away before they can ever have a chance to reject us. If you're if you can't stay constantly busy, because you don't want to address your own pain. And maybe you have anger issues, maybe you're self-medicating, maybe your attention seeking. Yeah. Now, another one is you may be fantasizing about what a life would be like if…now I'm going to tell on myself. When we were first married, my husband and I lived in a tiny little apartment, we had our daughter, I just had my son, and I didn't work. So, I would get up in the morning. And I do a couple of things with the kids. They get to play, and I pick up my book, and I love to read. And I would read Danielle Steele novels. I know this, I'm giving you some real insight. I don't read them anymore. But for a longest time, when I was growing up, I read the Little House on the Prairie series, I read the Nancy Drew series, I read Sweet Valley High. I read you name it, I read series of books. So, Danielle steele was the next one. My mom at the time had been into the Harlequin romance series. I couldn't get into that back and get into the Danielle Steele’s these seemed like real people to me. And I could literally pick up a book and read it from beginning to end in a day, if I just was left alone to do it, right? But I had to stop reading those books. Because what was happening is Mike and I were needing to build our marriage and build our relationship. And I kept comparing him to these heroes, these romantic interests in these books that were not real. It's called fiction people. And we get it wrapped in our brain that “Oh, they should treat us this way or we want them to treat them that way.” So, if you're addicted to shows like The Bachelor or, I know I'm calling some people out, Love Island or any of those stuff, and you're starting to go, “Well, I want my life to be like that.” First stop, stop fantasizing and get to work on working on the relationship you're currently in. So yeah, it was a rough go. I kind of went through withdrawals. When I put down the Danielle Steele books, I went to Half Price Books, I sold them all back to them, got them all out of my house. So, I would not do it again. I literally would be in the line when the new books would come out because I'd read them all. It was crazy. But the thing is, is when you build up these defense mechanisms you have, you cause a reaction. So what happens if you're a control freak, and you're trying to control people, people recognize you're a control freak, they may not tell you, you're a control freak, because you don't have time in your schedule to listen for them to tell you that you're a control freak, because you're too busy controlling them, right? Did y'all follow that? Yeah, it was a little, little crazy there. But if you're overanalyzing, you're too busy, trying and figure out what the problem is to listen to somebody talk to you about how to fix the problem. People will notice a chip on your shoulder, people will notice your attention seeking, they will notice your overmedicating they will notice all these things. But a lot of times people have also come to realize until you're ready to address it, it doesn't help for them to bring it up. So, all they try and do is treat the symptoms. A friend of mine who lives in the Dallas Fort Worth area, she is a CEO of a large company here and has won numerous awards for that; is a highly intelligent woman. And hopefully we'll have her on the show one day. But a couple of years ago, she asked her daughter, I believe she was in third grade. What is it that she thought would make mommy better? Because she was doing that 360 review of herself. She was doing a lot of what we all do. But it wasn't until her daughter turned to her and said, “I'd like my mommy not to drink so much.” See, it wasn't that the mom was a falling down drunk, all that stuff. She revealed later on that she did have some blackout moments. But she went home every night, she had a wine cellar, she went home every night she had wine. Every night, she'd have a bottle or two, or whatever of wine, while she was doing her work. It was just as common as picking up a bottle of water for her. But it had started to cause problems in her life, and there were some things she needed to address for herself. Not so much for her daughters, her daughters would get the overflow of the benefit of her doing the work on herself. It was right after that she went and got help. And she went and got sober, and her husband cleared out every bit of alcohol that was in the house for her, so she wouldn't be tempted. And she walked through this season, and she talks now about being clear and being able to see and what she was self-medicating during that time. But it wasn't until she allowed someone else to speak into her. See, back in the day, I used to tell everybody, with my arms outstretched, I'd say I'm an open book, you can ask me anything. But what I was really doing is I was making a defensive posture in my mind, where I had my hands up in a defensive mode going. You can, I'm an open book, you can ask me anything, but if you really knew me, you would have already known it. So, you shouldn't have to ask. I was deflecting, I was in denial. I was keeping myself from letting others in so that they couldn't reject me over thoughts, over actions, over things that I've done in my past. You might want to be the one that wants to fix everyone else. You might see problems in everyone around you. But here's the deal. If everyone around you has problems, you might be the only common denominator to that problem. And you might have to look at yourself. Question is, are you willing to look at yourself? Are you ready to look at yourself? People can see the destructive pattern, they can call it out, they can do all that stuff. But they can't go beyond surface level with you until you are ready to go beyond the surface yourself. Couple of years ago, I was in the citizens police academy and in my hometown, and the officer was talking about an Oodle loop. And I'd heard it before we had used that thing back in the military. Or maybe my dad had mentioned it, I'm not exactly sure where I'd heard it before. But it stands for observe, orient, decide and act. So just like the anatomy of a stronghold, and observe sometimes is an observance of something that happens that brings pain or trauma. Maybe you saw something, saw your dad beating your mom, maybe you were physically assaulted, whatever it is, you're observing what your observation of that event is. And then we orient, we develop information, we figure out if the information we want to develop around this event is factual or fiction, a lie. Then we decide what we need to do to ensure that bad thing never happens to us again, right? And we find our defensive mechanisms to self-preserve. And then our actions, our actions react and reflect all those lies, and decisions we've already previously made. Now, one of the things that they taught us in the police academy, is they use the oodle loop to train people, like when there's an active shooter, right? So common sense would tell you we're sitting in a studio today, there's a door to my right, when the door opens up, literally I would be face to face, eye to eye, with whoever's coming through that door. Well, immediately, whoever's coming through that door is going to be looking straight ahead. They may turn and look around the door or to their left when they come through the door. But first thing they're going to focus on is what's right ahead of them. So, one of the things we have to do is to disrupt their oodle loop, because their mind is, they're coming through that door, and they're going for the first thing in front of them. What we do instead is we put people on either side of the door, so that when they come through that door, we're disrupting their thought process immediately. We're, we're shaking them up immediately. So, they're disoriented. All right, they don't have a chance to come in, and they may see somebody in front of them, they don't have a chance to do anything with it. Because the two people on either side of the door, disorient them, they don't have a time to get their orientation with the room straight. Right? So that's what we need to do with this anatomy of a stronghold. If you've had a trauma, if you're walking through a trauma now, if you have never gotten healed from a past trauma, well, no matter how big or how small it is, there's ways we can help you do that we can help you, disorient those lies that you are starting to believe about what happened to you, we can help you build in things that will help you see the truth, and the life and, and help you walk better, stronger, bolder into who you are created to be. It's what we're all about. We're going to be talking more about these strongholds in our DIVAS making an impact group. It's a private group on Facebook, that you can be a part of. If you're listening to this or watching this podcast, you can see the link to it in the comments below but we're going to be talking about unlocking yourself from some of these strongholds, we're going to start that conversation on September 1 and go ahead and jump in the group now because we're having a great conversation in there right now. I don't want to spoil it for you. But we're having a great conversation in there right now for you and get to know what we're about. Get to know what we're talking about. Let us help you walk through some of those things. There's times that we do teachings during the week. And then there's times that we have a question and answer time where you can get on and you can ask questions, and we can walk through things. And of course, you can always schedule time to get on a call with us one on one as well. But these are the ways when we say we want to have real talk with real women, we want to get to the root cause that's causing a lot of these things that are holding you back. And we can't do that until you're ready to do that. So please, please, please go to DIVASImpact.com You can learn more about the group there, or you can learn more about the group in the comments section of this podcast below. But talking about unlocking. I am so excited today to tell you about our EVERYDAY DIVA. Our EVERYDAY DIVA this week is Kerrie Ole. She is the founder of unlocked ministries. And I love her ministry name because it was while I was standing in her kitchen a few years ago that she unlocked some things for me. I had been doing some things with her. I helped her with the conference which again, the help she gave me was far more than anything I did at the conference. I had helped her beyond the conference, helping her put some things together, organizing, getting social media together, all of that stuff. But again, every time I sat with this woman, I was just filled with so much yummy, ooey, gooey goodness, that I couldn't help but be changed, right. So, after we had a morning meeting, she turned to me and said something that really just astounded me. I've been doing a lot of things for a while for people that they would say without saying it, they would say with their actions, their words, their deeds, what can you do for me? It was never that way with Kerrie. It was always, “How can I help you”, if you're helping me, I want to be able to help you too. And so, I love that about her. But she and I had a great way of laughing and joking and she is hilarious. So, if you ever want to read any of her books, let me just tell you, her books are amazing. I recommend her book “REAL” for sure. And then hurt she has another book called “Revealed”, as well. Oh, my goodness, they are good. But anyway, standing there kitchen, we're laughing and we're joking. And she makes the comment just in the middle of us laughing and joking. She goes, “uh, why aren't you doing this for yourself?” Yeah, well, if I was completely honest with her, I would tell her that I was running away from myself at that time, I really didn't feel the value in myself, I felt about my value, adding value to others, by him feeling my value in what I had to offer on a broad spectrum like she was offering it. And it was just a dropped bomb right there. And it's because she is a woman that helps other women unlock their future that she is today's EVERYDAY DIVA, and if you want to learn more about her, you can go to Kerrieoles.com. And I'm going to spell that because it's not a normal spelling. That's kerrieoles.com if you go through her website, you can learn about her movement called the unlocked ministry. You can learn about her being a conference speaker, you there's a few videos on our website that you can see her more hilarious side of things and just go on to her social media. So, you can see that on her website too, and just tell her how much we appreciate her, not just me. We appreciate her for all that she has unlocked for all of us that are listening today. So, I want to thank you again for tuning in. This is Angie Leigh Monroe, your host of Warrior DIVAS | Real Talk for Real Women. And until next time. I will see you soon. Bye bye

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life,[a] and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.[b]10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own,[c] and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son,[d] full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”)” — John 1: 1-15 NRSV “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in[a] him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in[b] him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.” — Colossians 1: 15-20 I have quite the habit of collecting books. I’ve been doing it ever since I began studying in my 20s, and because I was a student, I was forever foraging in used bookstores. I’d even stop in small towns while driving through BC, and comb through the local thrift store, just in case there was a good volume to be found amongst the Danielle Steele and the old cook books. One time, I can’t remember how long ago now, maybe 15-20 years, I found this little blue hardcover with a curious title- The Unfinished Universe. On the inside of the dust jacket it said, “A great creative process is taking place in the universe, one in which we take part, for mankind is not only a witness but also a participant”. I thought that sounded intriguing enough, so I bought it and stuffed it away somewhere on my growing wall of IKEA bookshelves, not to open it again for many years. Little did I know that this new understanding of cosmology- which The Unfinished Universe, published in 1986, would be among the first to herald- would one day become a big part of my intellectual and spiritual life. Little did I know that one day I would walk into a church where the pastor was doing a version of Christianity based on this new cosmology, and that I would be inspired to go into ministry, changing my life forever. As it turns out, this little blue book was an omen glowing in an old brown box, whispering to me from my latent future. Today I want to talk about this new cosmology and the theologies that are embracing it. Over the course of May and June, I led a small group on this topic here at St. George’s. It was a good group- which included Katarina, Margo, Alana, Deb and Ula- and I think everyone got something out of our time together. What I wanted to do today is tell you a little bit about what we learned, so we can feed our experience back into the life of the congregation. So hang on to your hats- we’re about to take a wild ride through the new movements in theology that are embracing cosmology and evolution, and talk about what this means for how we understand God, Jesus, and the future of life on this planet. The new cosmology tells the story of a universe that came into being 13.8 billion years ago, and has been evolving ever since. After the big bang there was only hydrogen gas, but over vast scales of time particles formed, then galaxies, then stars, then planets, then cellular life on planets, then the biological world emerged, and eventually humans and human culture came into being. There are two main things to note about this story, for our purposes today. First, there are observable patterns to what the universe has been doing throughout this vast cosmic history- and this includes moving towards increasing order, increasing complexity, and increasing consciousness (or the increasing depth of self-awareness in beings). One saying in our small group readings that we were struck by, and one that takes a long time to really take in, is that in human beings the cosmos has become conscious of itself. The interior conscious dimension of the universe has now developed to such a degree, that the cosmos includes creatures that can contemplate the cosmos as a whole. That’s a pretty amazing and mind-bending thing to consider. But the important point is that the universe is not just a bunch of stuff randomly smashing about, but is following patterns of self-organization over time. The universe is up to something, and we can track its patterns. The second main thing to note about this cosmic story is that it’s not deterministic. There wasn’t some clockmaker God who wound the thing up, and then let it run according to a predetermined plan. No, the universe contains truly novel things that could not have been predicted from what came before it. Although we see patterns in the evolution of the cosmos, as we just said, the future of the cosmos is unknown. It’s unfinished, to the use the title of that book I found. The scientific word for this non-determined dimension of cosmic evolution is emergence. Things emerge in the process of cosmic evolution that are truly new, and not just combinations of what came before it. The universe is alive and unfolding in creative new ways, and because of this we can never know what the future holds. The future is unwritten. So how does this all relate to God and Jesus and our own spiritual lives? Much of what I’m about to tell you comes from the growing field of theology called Open and Relational Theology. That’s an umbrella term for theologies that are embracing the cosmic story I just described. The term open refers to what we just said- the future is open, not even God knows the future. This might seem startling to some who grew up with the classical view of God as omniscient, or all knowing. A supreme being must know everything, including the future right? That’s what Calvin and Luther thought. But this new theological understanding rejects this. In a universe that’s free and unfolding, like the one science is discovering, there’s no pre-existing divine plan for creation. God knows all of the possibilities for the future, but doesn’t know which way creation will choose to go. The cosmic novel is being written in real time. So how does God relate to the world then? In an open and relational view God does relate to beings in an ongoing and intimate way. God’s not some distant sky God, totally different and separate from the cosmos. In this view God’s primary nature is understood as love, as the Bible says. But the nature of love, if we reflect on it, is to not be controlling or coercive. We don’t love someone by controlling them. So God gives birth to the cosmos, and sustains it on a moment-to-moment basis, but does not control it or intervene in it. The cosmos contains genuine free will. So how does God relate to us, if God cannot intervene in that Monty Python hand from the sky kind of way? God is omnipresent, or present everywhere in the universe. God is within everything, wooing us, whispering to us to choose the more beautiful future that God wants to come into being. Jesus called that future the kingdom of God, a world in which love and justice and equality would reign. But God can’t force or strong-arm that future into being. God must allure creatures like us to participate with God in bringing about that future. There’s a line in the Talmud that says, “Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers: ‘Grow, grow’”. That’s how God relates to us, always alluring us to grow in the direction of love. But we must choose it. In every decision we make, we have multiple options in front of us. We can choose on a spectrum from love to full blown evil. Of course we’re never fully free in our choices. We’re influenced by our culture, our biology, our moment in history, our family, etc. But we do always have some modicum of free will despite these restrains, and God’s constantly wooing us to choose the next right thing. That’s the heart of our spiritual practice, this moment-by-moment choosing to act a little more in the image of God. And of course we often fail, or stray off course. We are, after all, human, all too human. But when we stray off course, we turn back, and try once again to choose actions that bring about a little more of the kingdom of God. And of course things like prayer and worship and reading scripture can help us become more capable and primed to choose the direction of love. Our exemplar for this life lived in the image of God is of course Jesus. Jesus is the Word made flesh. What does this mean? The Word is the Logos or the mind of God, what in the Old Testament was referred to as Wisdom. In many places, including our readings today, the Bible asserts that the mind or wisdom of God is working throughout all of creation. It’s God’s active power in the physical world, alluring all things to evolve in its image. For those who like to read in other religions, this wisdom or logos is very much like the Tao in Taoism. The Tao is seen as the eternal Way that flows through all things. The Taoist master is one who aligns with this Tao and embodies it fully. This is what Jesus does in the Christian tradition too. Jesus is the human being who fully opened up to the logos or divine wisdom. As Jesus says, “Anyone who sees me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). If we wanted to see what the divine looks like when fully aligned with the human form, we can see this in Jesus. But when we look at Jesus from a cosmic perspective, from the deep time perspective of 13 billion years of cosmic evolution, we can see two additional and important things about who he was. We can see that Jesus is not some supernatural being who flew down to earth and did his thing, only to fly off again when done. No, Jesus is the product of this epic story of cosmic evolution. This is how the theologian Ilia Delio puts it- “The body of Jesus, like every human body, is made from cosmic dust birthed in the interior of ancient stars that long predated our planet and solar system. The iron that ran through his veins, the phosphorus and calcium that fortified his bones, the sodium and potassium that facilitated the transmission of signals through his nerves- all make the Incarnation a truly cosmic event”. Jesus comes up out of the cosmos, and it took millions of years of evolution to create the conditions for his emergence. Jesus is thoroughly an inside job. But even more than this, Jesus tells us where this cosmic story is headed. Paul called Jesus the “firstfruits of a new creation”. In Jesus we get a little taster of what’s possible, of where cosmic evolution might go if creatures choose it. He’s a herald, a sign, an indicator of what the future could be if we listen and respond to God’s perpetual allurement. But there’s no guarantee we will, because real freedom truly exists in the cosmos. And life is pretty touch and go on this planet at the moment, as we all know. The story written here on earth might turn out to be a tragedy. But it might not. We don’t know, because the future is unwritten. And I think that’s one of two important takeaways I wanted to leave folks with today, from this new theological and cosmological perspective. I know there’s a growing amount of depression and resignation about the future of life on earth. I read an article the other day that said “‘Climate Despair’ Is Making People Give Up on Life” (1). The article says that it’s “Super painful to be a human right now at this point in history”. I had a minister friend tell me last week that her two teenage daughters don’t even think about what profession they might go into, because they assume there’ll be future at all. What’s the point of even thinking about these things then? This is heartbreaking stuff to hear. And I understand it. But we need to realize that the future is open. Nothing is set in stone, nothing is predetermined, including total planetary disaster. Sure, the heat is on, and the walls are closing in, I’ll grant that. But nothing is certain! Let’s not give up hope on a story that’s still being written. And even more importantly, God needs us to co-create the future. God can’t do it alone. God’s eternal and undying love means God has let creation be truly free, so God needs creatures to participate in bringing about the world God desires. That’s why in the Bible God is constantly seeking out human partnership, coming to Abraham and Moses and Jesus and the other prophets, making a covenant with the Israelites, enlisting everyone from wise men to shepherds to work on God’s behalf. God’s always seeking out creaturely partnership to bring about the kingdom of God. If we give in to despair now, we guarantee there’ll be no future worth living, because it can’t be done without us. And this might seem like a daunting responsibility, a heavy burden. But I think it’s exciting. It imbues life with an incredible amount of meaning and purpose. We matter to the future of life on this planet. Our actions affect the course of cosmic evolution. Of course, we need to be careful about falling prey to hubris, and allowing our human egos to direct this story. But if we spend time in prayer and silence we’ll become more capable of hearing where God’s calling us. We’ll better discern what needs to be done. So friends, let’s stay the course and keep fighting the good fight. The beautiful future Jesus revealed is still calling to us. Let’s keep trying to choose love in each next moment. Let’s reject those forces that are constantly trying to divide and conquer us. Together we are strong. As the Bible tells us many times, if we partner with God, anything is possible. Anything. Let’s stick that divine promise in our cosmic hat, and together unveil the glorious future that’s waiting for us on the other side of the storm. May it be so. Amen. ~~~~(1) “‘Climate Despair’ Is Making People Give Up on Life”. Vice. June 11, 2019. https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/j5w374/climate-despair-is-making-people-give-up-on-life?fbclid=IwAR0g3OiYvccdAKWLIx7MpcIWPGn8mTHV9Uy9QFPMetPoewn3DDVaBen0-b0

We recorded a live question and answer session at a VIP dinner in Los Angeles last week that was SO FUN we had to share it with you! That and of course tweet of the week, Danielle Steele audiobooks, chafing dishes, and Steve's love of donuts. All dates and ticket info for upcoming shows at stonecoldandthejackal.com

Danielle grew up with a love of reading, partly due to her namesake--Danielle Steele. It seemed as though she was born to write out the same love stories she devoured while growing up. She attended Bowling Green State University with a dream of studying creative writing, but the thought of sharing her work in front of a group of strangers was enough to make her change her major to Political Science. After college she moved across the state of Ohio with her soon-to-be husband. Once they married and had babies, she decided to stay home and raise her children. Some days her sanity slipped further across the line to crazy town so she decided to brush off her rusty writing chops and see what happened.  Danielle now spends her days running kids around, playing with her beloved dog, and typing as fast as she can to get the stories in her head written down. She loves to write contemporary romance with relatable characters that make her readers' hearts happy, as well as fast-paced romantic suspense that leaves them on the edge of their seats. Her story ideas are as varied and unpredictable as her everyday life.

This week we search for Janet and then discuss animism and art, covering the ways our perception and consumption of creative work can be understood animistically and also exploring the ways in which the art we create transform both the artist and the audience. Brandice apologizes for the Danielle Steele reference. References: National Novel Writing Month (Brandice’s favorite November activity) Why Cats Paint (mentioned by Janet) Gender & Feminism in Game of Thrones (quick example of something discussed)

NEW YORK, NY - This was a fun one. The New York Rugby Club is the oldest stand alone club in the USA. They turn 90 in February. Their storied #NY7s Thanksgiving weekend tourney turns 60 this month. And it just so happens that our man Matt McCarthy happens to be a NYRC member, so there's a bit of synergy in this one with New York 7s Coordinator/Player Dan Cavanagh. Even Old Blue legend and 7s Czar Steve Lewis feels the love in this Week 70 installment of our Fantasy Sports Network show. The three talk about the tourney, the 7s calendar and witness the debut of our Future Stars Today segment. This one features the Mark Loane Award winner as High School Player of the Year, Ethan McVeigh. Finally, we top of this segment with an elite 7s coach that could easily double as a Danielle Steele novel cover guy. *Watch or download as a Podcast. Please feel free to comment below and please share with your mates! All Segments: rugbywrapup.com/category/videos/ Find All Here: -Web: http://www.RugbyWrapUp.com -Twitter: https://twitter.com/RugbyWrapUp @RugbyWrapUp, @Matt_McCarthy00, @JonnyLewisFilms, @Junoir Blaber, @JWB_RWU, @Luke Bienstock, @Ronan Nelson, @MeetTheMatts, @Declan Yeats. -Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/RugbyWrapUp -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RugbyWrapUp -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/RugbyWrapUp -Google + (Yes, apparently that's still a thing): https://plus.google.com/+RugbyWrapUp -Apple PodCasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rugby-wrap-up/id1253199236?mt=2

First go vote. Vote.org has lots of information. We recorded this on the evening of the latest SCOTUS confirmation. It gets a little dark. But next up a Danielle Steele double header! Jewels and No Greater Love Content Note: VC Andrews, Politics, Catharine MacKinnon

Amanda and Jenn discuss pioneer fiction, distraction reads, slashers, and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked. This episode is sponsored by Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love and First Lessons by Lina J. Potter.   Questions   1. Hello! I am a literature and linguistics double major and am going to be taking 5 classes at an intensive this summer. I am looking for books that are easy to read and really draw you in. I love “The Vacationers,” “the Secret History,” and “the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” and am also a huge fan of classics but want something a bit easier to read than that. I am also looking for fiction books that take place during the rise of Irish Nationalism in the 1910s. I am reading Yeats and Joyce and would like books that will fill in a bit of background information. Thanks so much! –Quinn Elle   2. Hi, I’m looking for a specific type of book that I’m at a loss of where to find. I love love love the Little House on the Prairie series and I have not been able to find any others like it! I enjoy reading about how people lived in the pioneer days. I recently read The Snowchild which was a story of survival as well and I enjoyed that too. Please find me some books similar to those! I like fiction, nonfiction, historical, YA is fine, but please no short stories, poems, or graphic novels. Thanks so much in advance, I look forward to hearing what you recommend! –Susan   3. Hi gals, I believe you have covered something like this before, but I am not sure how to really search for without going through every past episode. Hoping you can help me! My cousin/bestie’s mother-in-law is starting chemotherapy and radiation and they would like to read something light and easy together. My cousin loved the Twilight series and she and her MiL like Nicholas Sparks and Danielle Steele. Both of them, but especially her MiL are progressive and her MiL isn’t religious (my cousin believes in God but also isn’t overly religious). Do you have any uplifting books for them to read? I think they would prefer something that distracts them a bit from the cancer and the physical and emotional pain it causes, so I’d rather it not be about anyone dying or that focuses a large part of the plot on being ill. That said, if it is an uplifting story about someone overcoming a serious illness and you think it would be a good fit for them, I’d certainly consider it. Thank you very much, –Kristin   4. Hello Get Booked! I’m a longtime listener of all things Book Riot and am coming to you for a recommendation for my mother, whose birthday is right around the corner (along with Mother’s Day). To give you an idea, she’s an avid and curious reader who loves plants and gardening, food, historical fiction, cute/feel-good stories, and books with great writing. She also likes current books, books that are on the new releases/hot reads shelf at the library, that she hears about on NPR, etc. Some books that she’s really enjoyed have been Lab Girl, Stay With Me, The Sympathizer (loved the story/writing, didn’t like the ending), The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Goodbye Vitamin. What she doesn’t like are books that are heavy-handed with their message or that have an unrealistic/unrelatable plot (she didn’t like The Nightingale, The Family Fang, or Manhattan Beach). Hopefully that will help you/me out and I can nail her birthday gift this year!! Thanks so much, –Chloe   5. Hi! I have a book swap quickly approaching with a complete stranger. It’s a “slasher” themed swap (which I have understood to mean horror or dark psychological suspense). My partner has listed Stephen King, Grady Hendrix, Richard Laymon, Anne Rice, and James Newman as her favorite authors. She has read and enjoyed The Grip of It by Jac Jemc, Bird Box by Josh Malerman, Universal Harvester by John Darnielle, NOS4A2 by Joe Hill, and Little Heaven by Nick Cutter. She did not particularly enjoy Final Girls by Riley Sager or Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones. Could you recommend a book or two for this swap that would make her day? Thanks! –Tanya   6. My sister is trying to get into reading and she keeps coming to me for book requests, which is great, but I’ve run out of ideas on what to suggest to her. She likes reading Nicholas Sparks, Sarah Dessen and John Green, but I believe at this point she’s read them all. She also thoroughly enjoyed Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult, mostly because the plot line kept her interested and she loved the sections about the elephants. I got her Where’d You Go Bernedette for her birthday which she seemed excited for but she hasn’t read it yet. She loves the outdoors and animals and nature, she just needs a plot line that is going to keep her interested from beginning to end. Thank you! –Allyson   7. Hi Amanda and Jenn! I recently discovered this podcast and have been loving it. After binging several episodes, I was tempted to submit a request of my own. I’m in my late twenties and have never been in a relationship; the short way to put it is just that I make friends rather slowly, have never found the idea of romance that appealing, and haven’t yet met anyone to change my mind. I do want a partner though and have tentatively started dating, but I’m not finding the process much fun. I wonder if you could recommend a sweet-hearted story with an older, skeptical or inexperienced narrator with a similar mindset and a happy ending. (In the ballpark of The Rosie Project maybe? Have read Persuasion and Attachments.) I have seen contemporary stories about online dating mishaps, but even humorous takes on this aren’t that encouraging for me. Obviously a Romance would be fine, but it’s also okay for the relationship to be off to the side (enjoy general fiction, mysteries, SFF, and historical fiction). I’m fine with straight or LGBTQIA, steamy bits are welcome, and actually I’ve had some luck with fantasy settings where relationships are arranged/necessary for magical health, etc. No YA and please no trigger warnings. –KS   Books Discussed   The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt The Mothers by Brit Bennett Giveaway! bookriot.com/bookstore500 Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell The Wangs vs. The World by Jade Chang The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich Burial Rites by Hannah Kent A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes (TW: harm to children and basically everyone else also) Security by Gina Wohlsdorf (rec’d by Liberty) When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean

Spécial voyage dans le temps. Revenez avec nous dans le lointain passé du 3 décembre 2017 quand Mario a suranalysé Retour vers le futur, Marc-André a raconté la fois où Jim Carrey est devenu fou et Bill a joué à Doom sur la Switch. En chemin vous découvrirez: la fin du Vans Warped Tour, Science-Fiction de Brand New et le surprenant lien entre Danielle Steele et un groupe de ska des années 90.

This week, we bring you our first ever live show from Toronto! BuzzFeed writer Scaachi Koul reads from her memoir, One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, then tells us about her trip to the Juggalo March, her DMs from The Rock, and her obsession with Danielle Steele. Plus, artist Maria Qamar aka HateCopy delves into the colorful world of auntie archetypes that she features in her new book, Trust No Aunty, and helps us answer the seminal question: do white people have family reunions? Special thanks to the HotDocs team for organizing such a dope podcast festival.Follow Scaachi Koul at @Scaachi.Follow Maria Qamar at @HateCopy.Follow us: @heavenrants and @brokeymcpovertyEmail us: anotherround@buzzfeed.comSubscribe to our newsletter: buzzfeed.com/anotherround/newsletterCheck out our merch! shop.buzzfeed.comLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeannie Moon has always wanted tob e a romance author. Growing up, she read her aunt's Harlequin books and then graduated to Kathleen Woodiwiss, Danielle Steele, Beatrice Small, and Judith Krantz. This native Long Islander loves words as shown not only in her sixteen books, but she's also an English teacher and has worked in PR. Jeannie loves to write about family and happily ever afters. Come join us as we discuss family, the Men of Marietta, and her newest release, Then Came You.  

Hi, everyone, and welcome to episode 3 of my podcast Leading A Double Life. I’m Kwei Quartey, a physician and author of the Inspector Darko Dawson novels. On my podcast, what it’s like to be a medical doctor and a writer. This episode, How I Got Published. One of the top most exciting times of my life was the day in 2008 that I learned Random House had accepted my first novel, WIFE OF THE GODS, for publication. My phone was buzzing with messages back and forth to and from my agent as she negotiated the deal. But I have to go back in time, because it was a decades-long road to that hallowed major publisher destination, and Random House is huge. After graduating from my Internal Medicine residency, I had returned to my old love of fiction writing. As a pre-teen, I’d written several adventure and mystery novels and won a few fiction-writing contests. My parents were very supportive and encouraging of my efforts, but at no point did they ever force me to write. I did it at urgings from within. I believe wanting or needing to write is something indigenous. It’s a part of me as much as the necessity to eat and sleep. I had been working as a newly employed Los Angeles physician for about a year when I began my first novel. At that time, I’d joined a writing group run by a former editor at one of the large publishers, and the literary world was buzzing about a steamy new novel called Destiny by Sally Beauman. It had been only half completed when it got a million-dollar advance from Bantam Books. It debuted at number six on the bestseller list a week before it was even published. It was 848 pages long, and one of those stories described with adjectives such as “sprawling” and “sweeping.” It was Danielle Steele-ish but was more explicit in its description of romantic exchanges, to put it delicately, particularly one jaw-dropping scene that everyone who read it remembers. I certainly do. I was quite taken with Beauman’s tome, and nothing preaches success like success, so I wrote my first novel called A Fateful Place along the lines of Destiny. Mine had an international flavor, taking place in England and the United States, with elements of the fashion world and British aristocracy. Essentially, Fiona, a young American woman visiting England mistakenly believes she has lost her baby boy, Julian, during a tragic ferry accident. In fact, the child has survived and been sold to a rather dodgy upper class British couple unable to have their own child. The lives of Fiona and Julian are separate until by happenstance they cross, and with devastating results. There were holes in the plot of this story large enough to drive a truck through. The question I have now is how I managed to fill some 750 pages with this story. I doubt I could do that now. I don’t recall how many literary agents I sent the manuscript to, but I could have built a paper house with all those rejection letters. Apart from the plot being grossly flawed, who was going to give any standing to a black author writing about the British and American white upper class? I should explain that most publishers don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts; that is ones that haven’t passed through a literary agent, who is, I suppose you might say, a gatekeeper. While I was waiting—in vain as it turns out—for an agent to snap up In A Fateful Place, I embarked on a new work of fiction based on the independent movie, Battle Of Algiers, about the war from 1954 to 1962 between Algeria and her French colonizers. I don’t remember which came first—the movie, or my interest in the war, but at any rate I personalized the historical events with a fictional character, Kamila, which was also the book’s title. Kamila, a young Algerian woman working in the French Quarter of Algiers, is caught up between the rival attentions of an Arab nationalist and a wealthy Frenchman. This novel I wrote very quickly—in about three months. I farmed it out to several agents without success. The rejection letters—sometimes no more than the word, “no--” kept pouring in. At some point I got disgusted and decided I was going to get Kamila published by whatever means possible. I turned to a so-called vanity press; that is, a publishing house that edits and prints your book at your cost. I chose Vantage Press, not to be confused with Vintage. Vantage is out of business now. I don’t remember how much they charged me, but it was a lot. To make things worse, I insisted on designing and printing the jacket covers myself and then shipping them to Vantage, all of which raised my expenses several-fold. The reason I did the covers was that Vantage had some of the dullest, most uninspiring jackets I’d ever seen. To their credit however, the line editors and proofreaders were excellent. Of course, right now we have a very large vanity press. It’s called Amazon.com. You can upload whatever you like to Kindle Direct Publishing. Barnes & Noble with their Nook, and Smashwords are other examples of that kind of platform. Back before the year 2000 when I was roaming the streets trying to hawk Kamila to bookstores, there was little chance of the novel getting anywhere because self-published books were regarded with great disdain at the time. They often still are, but online publishing has changed the landscape, and now a major publisher may chase after an author who has had phenomenal success with online self-publishing—case in point: Vintage (V-I-N) paying a massive advance to EL James for her Fifty Shades novels. With Kamila, I still had not found my footing as an author. People say, “Write what you know,” but more to the point is “Write what engages you,” and that wasn’t what I was doing. I had been ignoring what I innately knew about myself: one, that I’ve always loved murder mysteries; and two, that I grew up in Ghana, a culturally complicated West African country. It was time to combine those properties. In my first novel, WIFE OF THE GODS, at last I was writing about themes in which I was engaged: Ghanaian customs and traditionalism and their clash with modern thought, and how deeply ingrained indigenous beliefs could tie into a murder. When the first draft of WIFE OF THE GODS was done, I once again embarked on the painful process of looking for a literary agent. One said she wished she could represent me, but she wasn’t sure how she would market a book set in Africa. What she was saying was she would be swimming against the tide of American parochialism. Another agent, this time in the UK, put it more bluntly. “Two places in the world no one before the bestselling novels of Alexander McCall Smith, whose famous series with an African female protagonist is set in Botswana, in Southern Africa; and Khaled Hosseini whose bestselling books are set in Afghanista n. If the UK agent turned down those two as well, I’m sure he’s still kicking himself. Searching for an agent, it took me a while to realize I was doing it all wrong. True, I was picking literary agents who, according to different listings, handled fiction and mysteries or adventure, but the listings were too generic and didn’t drill deep enough. What kind of fiction, what kind of mysteries? I was randomly throwing darts and praying they’d hit the bull’s eye. I came across an online service called Agent Research and Evaluation, which has been around for about eighteen years and is run by Beverly Swerling, who is a novelist herself. She matches agents with the authors’ needs and provides highly detailed information about recent deals by literary agents. That way, the author can write a knowledgeable query letter to the agent saying something like, “I note with admiration that you recently sold X book by Y author to Z publisher.” Beverly taught me that it never hurts to flatter, praise or otherwise stroke an agent’s ego. They’re human too and they bruise and bleed just like the rest of us. Beverly guided me to an amazing agent Marly Rusoff, a former publishing executive at Houghton Mifflin, Doubleday and William Morrow. Based in Bronxville, New York, Marly was excited about WIFE OF THE GODS. It so happens that she tried to reach me on my landline, which I rarely picked up, and so all the while I thought she wasn’t interested, she was. Finally of course, we managed to get together. The elation I felt when I was finally told, “Yes,” after years and scores of “no” is indescribable. Marly’s pitching and negotiation skills were formidable evidently, because she got both Penguin and Random House in a bidding war for WIFE OF THE GODS. To make a decision about which to sign with, we set up two separate conference calls. As scheduled, I first called the VP of Penguin, but there was some kind of glitch in which she couldn’t be reached, and I had to leave a message. On the other hand, at Random House, the VP and one of its senior editors, Judy Sternlight, were ready and waiting for me and picked up on the first ring. I was bowled over by their warm reception, and even though Penguin did get back to me, the VP there did not sound as enthusiastic as the folks at Random. My experience with senior editor Judy Sternlight was outstanding. I learned invaluable lessons from her. Judy has the remarkable ability to draw out your best writing. She puts forward ideas, yes, but more than that, she stimulates them. Now, almost ten years later, Penguin and Random have merged, but Judy and I are with neither of thos e publishers. In 2012, I moved to a smaller house, Soho Press, which has been a terrific publisher for me; and Judy too has moved on, establishing Judy Sternlight Literary Services for authors in need of editorial assistance and book development of the highest standard. In the end, with the exception of a blessed very few, getting published isn’t easy. It never has been. But remember this: James Baldwin, JK Rowling, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway and Alice Walker, are just a handful of the many famous and successful authors who received at least one, and in many cases, several, rejection letters before acceptance. So keep on sending in those manuscripts!

Episode 17 of the International Women in Film Podcast stars, Reneé O’Connor, a successful actress and filmmaker, best known for her role on Xena: Warrior Princess, brings her unparalleled passion to each and every project. Reneé made a name for herself when she resided in Auckland, New Zealand, playing the role of Gabrielle, Xena’s trusted sidekick on the popular series from 1996-2001. The scene stealing role created a huge worldwide fan base, one still active in countless websites dedicated to the actress and this signature series. She then moved on to launch her own film production company – ROC Productions.  Her first independent production under the company is the romantic comedy, Diamonds and Guns which was released on DVD in January 2008. She also starred in several independent films, including Boogeyman 2 opposite Tobin Bell; The Sci Fi Channel’s Monster Ark opposite Tim DeKay and Alien Apocalypse, opposite Bruce Campbell, one of the highest-rated original movies in the cable network’s history.  She starred in the action webisode series ARK from Judah/Sacks (executive producers of 90210 and Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and the anticipated Faith Based feature film, Beyond The Farthest Star, due for release in 2016, from Pathlight Entertainment. Prior to her breakout role, Reneé lived in Texas and began her professional film career at the age of 17, starring in the serial Teen Angel, a regular feature on the Disney Channel’s The Mickey Mouse Club.  Other credits include the Disney film, The Adventures of Huck Finn with Elijah Wood, and television movies such as Follow the River with Ellen Burstyn, Danielle Steele’s Changes with Cheryl Ladd, and James Garner’s second Rockford Files reunion movie. Reneé’s talent extends well beyond the big screen or the small screen.  Also an acclaimed stuntwoman, Reneé is proficient in several forms of martial arts and the use of martial arts weapons, which includes, the Nunchaku, Bo-Staff, and the Sai. She is a certified teacher of Emotional Awareness for the gifted community by the Rocamora School, and Renee has been an annual nominee for the Women Making A Difference award by the Los Angeles Business Journal since 2010. Renee is involved as co-director for some Los Angeles Film Festivals and teaches the Youth Intensive film lab, an educational laboratory for showcasing local talents. Currently, Renee writes, directs, and produces award winning short films, bridging social awareness with the entertainment industry, and she is in post production on the feature film, Watch The Sky, a Science Fiction Family film, due for release in 2017. Diamonds and Guns http://internationalwomeninfilm.com/2016/07/25/infinity-by-randy-crowder-starring-renee-oconnor/   __ International Women in Film Podcast http://InternationalWomenInFilm.com/ To join the International Women in Film Podcast Community https://michelethetrainer.leadpages.co/podcast-iwif-1/

Our debut episode, in which we take Sam's romance novel virginity, discussing Cathy Maxwell's "Temptation of a Proper Governess" and Danielle Steele's "Summer's End"--the first romance novels Ashley and Kassandra read at far too young an age.Drinks: Lover's Revenge shot and Pomegranate Sex on the Beach. Check out the Lit & Liquor Pinterest board for recipes!Join us next week for Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern!

This is part one of a a two-part episode. On this date in 1791, the United States Bill of Rights became law when the state of Virginia ratified it. Here are some things you may not have known about the story behind the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. The Constitution of the United States is the result of hard fought negotiations between federalists and antifederalists during the summer of 1787. Originally, the meeting that became the Constitutional Convention was intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, which had been in place since 1777. The Articles of Confederation established how the individual states would work together, and it created a weak national government. The national government had no president, executive agencies, judiciary or right to tax. Federalists such as James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton argued in favor of throwing out the Articles of Confederation in favor of a new constitution which would establish a strong national government, known as a federal system. A proposal to add a bill of rights during the convention was defeated. Hamilton, among many, believed such an addition would be dangerous. It was his belief that the inclusion of some rights would imply that rights not specifically mentioned didn’t exist. The Constitution required ratification by nine of the 13 states before it came into effect. Five states ratified the constitution with little trouble. Massachusetts on the other hand, was a different story. A contentious convention from the start, the low point of the Bay State’s meeting was a fist fight between federalist Francis Dana and anti-federalist Elbridge Gerry. Cooler heads prevailed as the convention agreed to ratify under the condition that the group also propose amendments. Massachusetts’ suggestions included the basis for what would become the fifth and 10th amendments. Ratifications by Maryland, South Carolina and New Hampshire pushed the Constitution over the nine-state requirement. Shortly after, Virginia and New York ratified, while North Carolina and Rhode Island waited until after the document came into effect in 1788. By the time the first Congress was seated in 1789, James Madison had come around on the idea of a bill of rights. Although his reasoning was largely strategic. He pledged to introduce a bill of rights as amendments to the Constitution as part of his effort to defeat James Monroe for a seat in the House of Representatives. He also believed that introducing a bill of rights would help preempt a second constitutional convention that could lead to the dissolution of the new federal government. Madison wrote what would become 20 proposed amendments. The House whittled this down to 17 amendments, while the Senate condensed it to 12. The 12 proposed amendments were then referred to the states for ratification. On tomorrow’s episode, we’ll delve into the amendments themselves. Today’s question: What document is seen as the world’s first bill of rights?   Today is International Tea Day, Kingdom Day in the Netherlands, and Remembrance Day of Journalists Killed in the Line of Duty in Russia. It’s unofficially Cat Herders Day, National Cupcake Day, and National Regifting Day. It’s the birthday of engineer Gustave Eiffel, who was born in 1832; actor and comedian Tim Conway, who is 83; and actor Don Johnson, who is 67. Because our topic happened before 1960, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week in 1989, the top song in the U.S. was “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel. The No. 1 movie was “The War of the Roses,” while the novel “Daddy” by Danielle Steele topped the New York Times Bestsellers list. Weekly question What wireless technology was named after a Danish king’s nickname? Submit your answer at triviapeople.com/test and we’ll add the name of the person with the first correct answer to our winner’s wall … at triviapeople.com. We'll reveal the correct answer on tomorrow’s episode. Links Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website. Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_United_States_Congress https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbridge_Gerry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles_of_Confederation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_Convention_(United_States) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Madison https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/statehood.shtml https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_of_rights https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_15 https://www.checkiday.com/12/15/2016 http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-december-15 http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/numberonesongs/?chart=us&m=12&d=15&y=1960&o= https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1989_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers_of_1989 iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9 Android: http://bit.ly/2bQnk3m

After a long break, Matt joins Dan to talk about bods and other baseball related nonsense. They play everybody's favorite game Danielle Steele, Anne Rice or Agatha Christie and drop some fantastic puns. We're back, baby. It feels ok.

In this episode, The Nerds sit down with Trivia Master and overall funny guy Jacob Reuben, and discuss Destiny, comics, and we play the hottest new game sweeping the nation Danielle Steele or Sci-Fi?

10 centimeter, 12 centimeter, 15 centimeter. 3 000 kronor, 5 000 kronor, 8 000 kronor. I modepressen har internationella kändisar länge och självklart talat om sina Manolos eller sina 15 centimeters Louboutins. Kommentarer som signalerat att de inte bara bemästrar en avancerad balansakt, utan även gör det i skor av rätt märke. Men idag svajar många av oss högt ovan marken i märkesskor med skyhöga klackar för astronomiska priser. I veckans STIL tar vi en titt på hur, och varför, både klackar och priser på skor har skjutit i höjden. Man skulle kunna påstå att högklackade skor idag har ersatt den omsusade väskan när det gäller att markera stil och status. Att kunna namnet på skodesigner är idag självklart för många modeintresserade. Nya böcker om både skor och designer publiceras ständigt (bara nu till våren är minst fyra stycken på gång, om än på engelska). Och London Design Museum firar den franske skodesignern Christian Louboutins 20-åriga karriär med en stor utställning, mellan 1 maj - 9 juli. Det är för övrigt en man med hängivna beundrare. Den amerikanska författarinnan Danielle Steele är en storsamlare av hans skor, hon har 6 000 par. ”Kvinnor har en sorts köttslig relation med sina skor”, som Christian Louboutin säger. Det gör han i dokumentärfilmen God save my shoes, som försöker gå till botten med vad fascinationen vid höga klackar egentligen handlar om. Vi har pratat med filmens regissör, Julie Benasra, som i sin tur har samlat ihop en uppsjö av personer: designers, modehistoriker, läkare, skosamlare, sexologer och psykoanalytiker, som alla har sina (mer eller mindre udda) teorier kring fenomenet höga klackar. Vi har också pratat med personerna bakom det holländska skomärket United Nude. Dessutom får vi handfasta tips av en skomakare om hur man bäst tar hand om sina skor för att öka deras livslängd. Och så har vi besökt en av Sveriges få strumpfabriker som ligger i Malmö. Veckans gäst är Ingrid Giertz Mårtenson, rådgivare för Centrum för Näringslivshistoria i Stockholm och före detta vd för Svenska Moderådet.

We get waist-deep in a whole lotta reader mail and then tackle a bunch of feminist issues, plus we address Danielle Steele's problem with San Francisco.Click here to listen to Episode 64!

Ask the wrong question and you will get the wrong answer Most businesses target an imaginary customer because someone – probably an advertising salesman – once asked, “Who is your customer?” Ask any businessperson, “Who is your customer?” and he or she will likely answer with a singular customer profile. Something like, “My customer is a career woman between 28 and 44 years old, college educated, making at least $45,000 per year. She has exceptional taste and style and wants to express her individuality through her purchases.” And her favorite author is Danielle Steele and she likes to take long walks on the beach in the moonlight, right? Ill-advised questions like, “Who is your customer?” must find their answers in that shadowland where memory meets imagination. Although it may seem logical on the surface, “Who is your customer?” is a dangerously worded question. Yes, I said “dangerously” worded. Your whole life you've been told, “We remember more of what we see than what we hear.” But it isn't true. In fact, clinical tests have proven quite the opposite: the precise wording of what enters our ears profoundly alters what we see in our mind. The question, “Who is your customer?” conjures the mental image of an individual since “customer” isn't plural. Ask that same business owner, “How many different types of people do you serve?” and you'll get a radically different, far more valuable answer. So now you're going to tell me the 28 to 44 year-old female customer profile you gave me was the average customer, right? Dr. Neil Postman, the celebrated Chair of the Department of Culture and Communications at New York University, has this to say about that:  “We must keep in mind the story of the statistician who drowned while trying to wade across a river with an average depth of four feet. That is to say, in a culture that reveres statistics, we can never be sure what sort of nonsense will lodge in people's heads… A question, even of the simplest kind, is not, and never can be unbiased. The structure of any question is as devoid of neutrality as its content. The form of a question may ease our way or pose obstacles. Or, when even slightly altered, it may generate antithetical answers, as in the case of the two priests who, being unsure if it was permissible to smoke and pray at the same time, wrote to the Pope for a definitive answer. One priest phrased the question ‘Is it permissible to smoke while praying?' and was told it is not, since prayer should be the focus of one's whole attention; the other priest asked if it is permissible to pray while smoking and was told that it is, since it is always permissible to pray.”In a Loftus & Palmer experiment reported by Dr. Alan Baddeley in his 1999 book, Essentials of Human Memory*, a group of people were asked to watch the video of a collision between two automobiles. Viewers who were asked, “How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?” gave answers averaging 40.8 MPH and reported having seen broken glass. But viewers reported speeds averaging only 31.8 MPH and remembered no broken glass when asked, “How fast were the cars going when they made contact?” Keep in mind that each group had seen the same video only a few moments before these questions were asked.  Control the question and you control the mental image it conjures. Create your marketing plan around the question, “Who is my customer?” and you'll soon bump your head against a very low ceiling. The true profiles of “your customer” are like the characters in a Fellini movie; an unimaginable circus of people with conflicted personalities and unconscious buying motives. Proponents of hyper-targeting are quick to say, “You're using the shotgun approach. I believe in putting the customer in the crosshairs of a rifle.” But we're not hunting just one customer, are we? Hyper-targeters believe in fishing with a hook. But for best...

In October 2006, Danielle Steele Brown's husband was killed. Then, a crucial witness in his murder case was slain. Now Brown is three years into the wait for her husband's murder trial, and she lives in fear. They were newlyweds, just two months into a new life together; they composed a song about their love. He was the successful music producer Raymond Brown, known as Scotty Beats. They were eager to start a family. But late one night a group of young men tried to steal Brown's car, outside the Brown's home in suburban Maryland. When Brown confronted them, they shot him.