In this episode Mark interviews Melissa Heathers, author and host of The Book Crawl.

Prior to the main content, Mark welcomes new patrons, and shares a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report.

Links of Interest:

Stark Realities Book
- BUY DIRECT Link (Use code STARKDIRECT at checkout to save $4.00. Patrons, check the post on Patreon.com/starkreflections for the post dated June 12, 2026 for your special 67% off coupon)
Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%)
Buy Mark a Coffee
Patreon for Stark Reflections
Mark's YouTube channel
ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link)
Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
Stark Realities Book
An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
The Relaxed Author
- Buy eBook Direct
- Buy Audiobook Direct
Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
Wide for the Win
Ghost Stories of the Great Lakes
Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Episode Details

Status: Published
Release Date: Jul 30, 2026
Author: Mark Leslie Lefebvre
Episode Type: full
Season: 9
Episode: 485
Rating: Clean

File Info

Size: 39 MB
Duration: 00:27:32
File Type: audio
Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 187.50 kbPs
Sample Rate: 44100 Hz
Upload Date: Jul 30th, 2026 02:46 PM

Downloads for This Episode IAB IAB Unique Daily Downloads 171 Downloads: [bold][/] Last processed 08/06/26 06:11pm Destinations Destination Status Release Expiration Amazon Music/Audible Released Jul 30, 2026 7:00pm Never Android App Released Jul 30, 2026 7:00pm Never Apple Podcasts / Libsyn Classic Feed Released Jul 30, 2026 7:00pm Never Boomplay Released Jul 30, 2026 7:00pm Never Deezer Released Jul 30, 2026 7:00pm Never Gaana Released Jul 30, 2026 7:00pm Never iHeartRadio Released Jul 30, 2026 7:00pm Never iPhone/iPad App Released Jul 30, 2026 7:00pm Never JioSaavn Released Jul 30, 2026 7:00pm Never Network App Listing Released Jul 30, 2026 7:00pm Never

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Episode Description

In this solo episode Mark reads Chapter 5 (The Beautiful Mess: On Failure, Mistakes, and the Gift of Getting It Wrong) from his book STARK REALITIES: Stacked-up Lessons Every Writer Needs to Know About the Business of Writing and Publishing.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report.

In their conversation, Mark and Melissa talk about:

Melissa's first book (Dear Ego, Dear Heart), which was published Dec 24, 2024 as a Christmas gift to herself
The questions that came next, including "What do I do to make this book visible?"
Being told in high school by a teacher that Melissa had a talent for writing
The transcendence that came as the results of the side-effects from a horrible car accident
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and how it inspired Melissa to write poetry that explores the inner duality
Seeing the world metaphorically
Some of the strategies that Melissa had to employ
What Book Crawl is and how it first started
The initial name Melissa had for this show
What Melissa's show is like, and how it's different than a podcast
A mistake Melissa made leveraging AI to generate images for a kids' book
The artist/designer that Melissa ended up using for the final project
The visibility summit that Melissa was participating in during the summer of 2026
Advice Melissa would offer to other authors
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the importance of teachers in recognizing the talents and skills of students, and the impact a small gesture can have on someone's creative life.

Links of Interest:

Melissa's website
The Book Crawl
The 2026 Aurora Awards (livestream Sunday Aug 9, 2026 at 5 PM Eastern)
- 2022 Aurora Awards Opening Schtick/Cold Open
- 2023 Aurora Awards Opening Schtick/Cold Open
- 2024 Aurora Awards Opening Schtick/Cold Open
- 2025 Aurora Awards Opening Schtick/Cold Open
Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%)
Buy Mark a Coffee
Patreon for Stark Reflections
Mark's YouTube channel
ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link)