EP 477 - Rambling Reflections From The Road to StokerCon

<p>In this solo episode recorded while driving between Waterloo, Ontario and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on his way to attending StokerCon, a horror writer conference, Mark shares some reflections on his dual life as an author-supporting industry representative and a horror author.</p> <p>This episode is sponsored by Author Nation, being held in Las Vegas Nov 13 through 14, 2026</p> <p><img alt="Author Nation Home Page 2026" class="sFlh5c FyHeAf iPVvYb" src="https://d11n7da8rpqbjy.cloudfront.net/claymore/11738516325212.jpg" style="width: 237px; height: 237px; margin: 0px;" /></p> <p>Learn more about Author Nation and register at <a href="https://www.authornation.live/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">AuthorNation.live</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Links of Interest:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://manuscriptreport.com/?atp=mark" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Manuscript Report</a> (Mark's affiliate link - use <strong>MARK10</strong> to save 10%)</li> <li><a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie">Buy Mark a Coffee</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/starkreflections" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Patreon for Stark Reflections</a></li> <li><a href="https://youtube.com/markleslielefebvre" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mark's YouTube channel</a></li> <li><a href="https://try.elevenlabs.io/starkreflections">ElevenLabs</a> (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link)</li> <li><a href="http://eepurl.com/dHJhK1" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/workingwithlibrariesandbookstores" rel="noopener" target="_blank">An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/relaxedauthor/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Relaxed Author</a> <ul> <li><a href="https://payhip.com/b/w7Gg1" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Buy eBook Direct</a></li> <li><a href="https://payhip.com/b/QK4ks" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Buy Audiobook Direct</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/b/publishingpitfalls" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Publishing Pitfalls for Authors</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/b/workingwithlibrariesandbookstores" rel="noopener" target="_blank">An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Wide for the Win</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books</a> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">This Time Around (Short Story)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">A Canadian Werewolf in New York</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Stowe Away (Novella)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Fear and Longing in Los Angeles</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Fright Nights, Big City</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/loversmoon" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Lover's Moon</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/hexandcity" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Hex and the City</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/onlymonstersinthebuilding" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Only Monsters in the Building</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/oncebittennovella" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Once Bitten (Novella)</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/b/thecanadianmounted" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/diehardtrivia" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/christmasvacation" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/ithinkitsasign/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises</a></li> </ul> <p> </p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-dark-gray-background-color has-dark-gray-color" /> <p><em>The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of <a href="https://incompetech.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">www.incompetech.com</a></em> <em>and is Licensed under</em> Creative Commons: By <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Attribution 3.0</a></p>