It’s kind of weird how you can often find people who are living a life or working a career path that is eerily parallel to your own. That’s the case with me and my friend, Grant Faulkner. We both came to publishing around the same time and in roughly similar ways. We both ended up working for organizations that serve the writing community. And we both left those roles at roughly the same time, to pursue other facets of our dreams.

In this episode, I talk to Grant about his journey, but I also talk to you about yours. Because it’s ok to step back and take a look at your dream, and realize, “This isn’t what I want anymore.”

Show links:

* Website:

http://grantfaulkner.com

* America’s Next Great Author:

https://americasnextgreatauthor.com

* Grant Faulkner on Substack:

MY NEW NOVEL, “THE FORGOTTEN RUNE,” AVAILABLE NOW!

Download your copy at https://bit.ly/forgottenruneaz

Watch “Who is Dan Kotler?” on YouTube:

The Wordslinger Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/wordslingerpodcast

Find more from me, and find ways to support what I’m making here, when you go to Wordslingerpodcast.com

Got a topic or question for the show? Want to AKA (Ask Kevin ANYTHING?) Send it to me at kevintumlinson.com/contact

Follow me online:

* Buy my books at kevintumlinson.com/books

* Read me on Substack: kevintumlinson.substack.com

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I feel like the whole question of whether we live in a simulation is settled. We can see the pixels. And when we look closer at everything we ever thought of as being “the smallest thing that can exist,” we eventually look past it and see that the universe…. well, it stops making any sense. All the rules of order we think are fundamental to existence stop working altogether, at the quantum level.

My good friend, author Ernest Dempsey, agrees with me on this. And in this interview we talk about simulation theory and more. Jump in. Tell me what you think.

Show links:

- Website: https://ernestdempsey.net

- Find Ernie on YouTube: youtube.com/@ernestdempsey

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MY NEW NOVEL, “THE FORGOTTEN RUNE,” RELEASES MAY 15!

Reserve your copy now at https://bit.ly/forgottenruneaz

Watch “Who is Dan Kotler?” on YouTube:

The Wordslinger Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/wordslingerpodcast

Find more from me, and find ways to support what I’m making here, when you go to Wordslingerpodcast.com

Got a topic or question for the show? Want to AKA (Ask Kevin ANYTHING?) Send it to me at kevintumlinson.com/contact

Follow me online:

- Buy my books at kevintumlinson.com/books

- Read me on Substack: kevintumlinson.substack.com

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I often tell people that poetry has never been my thing. But I’m learning that I’ve always been wrong about that. Because not only do I find myself reading more poetry, it turns out I’ve been writing my own poetry for years without quite realizing it.

That’s not the case with my guest, Vance Monet. He’s a poet and he knows it. And he’s experimenting with something he calls “inversions metaphor,” crafting poems that bring a new perspective to everyday experiences. We talk about that and the San Francisco Forty-Niners (as poetic inspiration) in this episode of Wordslinger.

Show links:

- Website: https://vancemonet.my.canva.site/

- Vance Monet on Twitch: www.twitch.tv/Eskendale

MY NEW NOVEL, “THE FORGOTTEN RUNE,” RELEASES MAY 15!

Reserve your copy now at https://bit.ly/forgottenruneaz

Watch “Who is Dan Kotler?” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QMecGA2bptQ?si=u3iJ8Lq-qwL6rEi4

The Wordslinger Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/wordslingerpodcast

Find more from me, and find ways to support what I’m making here, when you go to Wordslingerpodcast.com

Got a topic or question for the show? Want to AKA (Ask Kevin ANYTHING?) Send it to me at kevintumlinson.com/contact

Follow me online:

- Buy my books at kevintumlinson.com/books

- Read me on Substack: kevintumlinson.substack.com

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- Link me: linkedin.com/in/kevintumlinson

Cameron Sutter is a kind soul. If you ever get a chance to sit and chat with him at a conference or anywhere else, I promise he’s going to surprise you. He’s an author of fiction, but in his quest to make writing just a little easier for himself he ended up creating software that can make writing easier for you, too. Plottr is a versatile and amazing application that even I, a lifelong and dedicated pantser, have found a use for. We talk about Plottr, otters, and more in this interview.

Show links:

* Try out Plottr to outline your next book (and get Otter Merch!): Plottr.com

* Plottr on Facebook: facebook.com/plottrapp

* Tune in to Plottr on YouTube: youtube.com/plottr

* Watch “Who is Dan Kotler?” on YouTube:

MY NEW NOVEL, “THE FORGOTTEN RUNE,” RELEASES MAY 15!

Reserve your copy now at https://bit.ly/forgottenruneaz

The Wordslinger Podcast Playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvSjreJNEhuQX5DnVehfdIoC0SfC4wEKu

Find more from me, and find ways to support what I’m making here, when you go to Wordslingerpodcast.com

Got a topic or question for the show? Want to AKA (Ask Kevin ANYTHING?) Send it to me at kevintumlinson.com/contact

Follow me online:

* Buy my books at kevintumlinson.com/books

* Read me on Substack: kevintumlinson.substack.com

* See me: youtube.com/kevintumlinson

* X me out: x.com/kevintumlinson (@kevintumlinson)

* Face me: facebook.com/kevintumlinson

* Link me: linkedin.com/in/kevintumlinson

Johnny B. Truant has been in the DNA of self publishing almost from the start. He’s an author, a podcaster, a reluctant influencers. Great guy, too. And his series, “Fat Vampire,” has been adapted by the SyFy Channel as “Reginald the Vampire.” Success by almost any definition!

But is it success by Johnny’s definition?

We talk about that, and about the movement and evolution happening in the publishing industry, and what it means to be an “iconoclast author” (or an “artisan author,” if you’re me).

This is a great conversation, and I think everyone (even non-authors) will get a lot out of it. Food for the soul.

Show links:

* Johnny’s Website: https://johnnybtruant.com

* Johnny’s Substack: https://substack.com/@johnnybtruant

* “We’re Entering the Age of the Iconoclast Writer” - Author Stack Post -

MY NEW NOVEL, “THE FORGOTTEN RUNE,” RELEASES MAY 15!

Reserve your copy now at https://bit.ly/forgottenruneaz

The Wordslinger Podcast Playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvSjreJNEhuQX5DnVehfdIoC0SfC4wEKu

Find more from me, and find ways to support what I’m making here, when you go to Wordslingerpodcast.com

Got a topic or question for the show? Want to AKA (Ask Kevin ANYTHING?) Send it to me at kevintumlinson.com/contact

Follow me online:

* Buy my books at kevintumlinson.com/books

* Read me on Substack: kevintumlinson.substack.com

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* X me out: x.com/kevintumlinson (@kevintumlinson)

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JD Barker, New York Times and International best selling author, has had one of the most interesting lives and careers I can think of. From the time he was asked to write a Dracula novel by Bram Stoker estate to the time he solved a friend’s murder, and on to a prolific and successful career as a thriller writer, JD’s meandered along a path most of us couldn’t imagine. And then there’s the email… a slip, an accident, someone sent the wrong thing to the wrong list, and controversy ensued.

In this episode of Wordslinger we’re diving deep in the history of JD Barker, celebrating the wins and learning from the mistakes.

WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE

Show links:

* JD Barker’s website - jdbarker.com

* Order your copy of “Behind a Closed Door” - https://jdbarker.com/books/behind-a-closed-door/

The Wordslinger Podcast Playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvSjreJNEhuQX5DnVehfdIoC0SfC4wEKu

Find more from me, and find ways to support what I’m making here, when you go to Wordslingerpodcast.com

Got a topic or question for the show? Want to AKA (Ask Kevin ANYTHING?) Send it to me at kevintumlinson.com/contact

Follow me online:

* Buy my books at kevintumlinson.com/books

* Read me on Substack: kevintumlinson.substack.com

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Michael Evans is a busy guy. Writing books. Recording podcasts. Founding and running a successful startup in the publishing space. And, oh yeah, graduating from Harvard. And yet he still had time to swing by and chat with me about how storytellers rule the world. And I agree. Take a listen to this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, and stick around to hear this week’s 3 Things.

Show links:

Ream - reamstories.com

Ream Podcast - subscriptionsforauthors.com

Michaels Books - mevansinked.com

The Wordslinger Podcast Playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvSjreJNEhuQX5DnVehfdIoC0SfC4wEKu

Find more from me, and find ways to support what I’m making here, when you go to Wordslingerpodcast.com

Got a topic or question for the show? Want to AKA (Ask Kevin ANYTHING?) Send it to me at kevintumlinson.com/contact

Follow me online:

Buy my books at kevintumlinson.com/books

Read me on Substack: kevintumlinson.substack.com

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Face me: facebook.com/kevintumlinson

Link me: linkedin.com/in/kevintumlinson

Story builds brand loyalty. Give your audience a good story and they’re a fan for life. And this isn’t just for writers—this is for content creators, entrepreneurs, even employees. Listen in and I explain.

In this episode, I talk about the San Antonio Zoo, Buc-ees, and my quest for the world’s best chicken salad. I also talk about worry and despair, versus the choice of joy and hope.

WATCH THE EPISODE ON YOUTUBE:

Thank you for reading The Writer_. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Show links:

* Chicken Salad Chick -

https://www.chickensaladchick.com

* How I Made This interview with Stacy Brown (Founder of Chicken Salad Chick) - https://www.npr.org/2018/06/29/624713103/chicken-salad-chick-stacy-brown

* Buc-ees -

https://www.bucees.com/

* San Antonia Zoo -

https://sazoo.org

The Wordslinger Podcast Playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvSjreJNEhuQX5DnVehfdIoC0SfC4wEKu

Find more from me, and find ways to support what I’m making here, when you go to Wordslingerpodcast.com

Got a topic or question for the show? Want to AKA (Ask Kevin ANYTHING?) Send it to me at kevintumlinson.com/contact

Follow me online:

* Buy my books at kevintumlinson.com/books

* Read me on Substack: kevintumlinson.substack.com

* See me: youtube.com/kevintumlinson

* X me out: x.com/kevintumlinson (@kevintumlinson)

* Face me: facebook.com/kevintumlinson

* Link me: linkedin.com/in/kevintumlinson