As you no doubt know, my new book Jerry Lewis Told Me I Was Going To Die is launching on Saturday, May 6th @ 2pm in the Capreol Curling Club. It should be a fun afternoon. But that's not the only bit of promotion I've got lined up. Thanks to my friend Mark Leslie Lefebvre, whose books are amazing BTW, I appeared on episode #298 of his podcast Stark Reflections.
Click on this link to give a listen: https://starkreflections.ca/2023/04/07/ep-298-honesty-humor-poetry-essays-and-disability-with-matthew-del-papa-and-vera-constantineau/
Mark is a great interviewer and through the magic of editing made me sound like I know what I'm talking about. It helped that my good friend Vera Constantineau joined me for the interview. She and I share publishers, Sudbury's own Latitude 46, and her new book, Enlightened by Defilement, is being released three weeks prior to mine. I think we make a good team, Vera and me. Since we both used assistive devices to get around, she has a mobility scooter and I an electric wheelchair, we're branding ourselves as "The Rolling Writers".
We share an abiding love of humour and both of us work to infuse our writings with light-hearted moments. There are some funny moments in our interview but also a few insights too. The discussion ranges across topics as Mark leads us through questions on writing, disability, life in Northern Ontario (Mark was born and raised in Azilda before heading south for school and work), and more. The interview runs just over an hour but, thanks to Vera and Mark, never feels long.
Mark spent many years working for Kobo, travelling the world extolling the virtues of e-reading and e-publishing. He was "plugged in" to the industry in a way that few authors ever manage and that allowed him insight into what works and what doesn't. For aspiring writers Mark published a series of "How To" books through his own electronic imprint, Stark Publishing. These titles offer the sort of hands-on instruction that is worth its weight in gold. Best of all, he's constantly adding new topics to his catalogue.
Writing under the name "Mark Leslie" since, as he told me, "Lefebvre proved too difficult for Torontonians' to pronounce," he's built quite the following over the years. Not only is Mark a superbly talented horror author (I got nightmares after reading One Hand Screaming) and a sought-after editor and publisher, but he's a world class promoter too—championing Canadian Literature throughout the world.
I was fortunate enough to contribute a Capreol-based tale to his true-life ghost story collection Spooky Sudbury. Other titles in the series include Haunted Hamilton, Macabre Montreal, and Creepy Capital. All are fun, spine-tingling accounts of actual ghostly encounters. Perfect bedtime reading for believers in the supernatural or just that inquisitive young mind you never know what to buy.
Mark has written a number of great novels and his new series, starting with the first release A Canadian Werewolf in New York, is not to be missed. I thoroughly enjoyed the series and am counting the days until the next book is released. All are available in audiobook, narrated by another Sudburian, former local radio personality, Scott Overton.
It is a privilege to talk writing with Mark. He knows his stuff and it shows. Insightful, self-deprecating, and funny, his podcast is approaching its milestone #300 for a reason. I've learned a lot listening to him and his never-ending array of talented guests. Every Friday there's a new episode, featuring a different topic related to the art, science, and business of writing.
Tune in to any episode of Stark Reflections and you'll discover that there's a whole world behind the book—and a fascinating world at that. But if you're only going to listen to one, make it #298 and laugh along as I blather on about my new book. Mark, Vera, and I have a lot to say and I think you'll like it.