Uncorking a Story

In-depth conversations with storytellers including authors, filmmakers, comedians, and podcasters.

Burning the Negative, with Josh Winning

Burning the Negative, with Josh Winning

Josh Winning is the author of the critically acclaimed The Shadow Glass. He is a senior film writer at Radio Times, has written for Total Film for over a decade, and is the co-host of movie podcast Torn Stubs. During his years as a film journalist, he has been on set...

read more
The Hard Grind, with Karen McManus

The Hard Grind, with Karen McManus

Elevator pitches are critically important when selling your book. Ideally, you’d answer the question, “So, what’s your book about?” with a one sentence description that gets the agent/publisher/reader interested in knowing more. Today’s guest, Karen McManus, used...

read more
From Rejection to Resilience, with Poet Whitney Hanson

From Rejection to Resilience, with Poet Whitney Hanson

I loved connecting with Whitney Hanson and hearing her path to publishing. Originally independently published, Whitney caught the attention of an acquisitions editor at Penguin Random House after achieving, what Borat would call, great success on TikTok. She has a...

read more
The Story of Ourselves, with Lynne Hugo

The Story of Ourselves, with Lynne Hugo

Lynne Hugo is a National Endowment For The Arts Fellowship recipient who has also received repeat individual artist grants from the Ohio Arts Council and the Kentucky Foundation for Women. Her publications include ten novels, as well as a memoir, Where the Trail Grows...

read more
Overcoming Objections, with Adam Mitzner

Overcoming Objections, with Adam Mitzner

Adam Mitzner is the critically acclaimed Amazon Charts bestselling author of Dead Certain, Never Goodbye, and The Best Friend  in the Broden legal series, as well as stand-alone thrillers A Conflict of Interest, A Case of Redemption, Losing Faith, The Girl from Home,...

read more
The Thin Veil, with Dr. Gary Simonds

The Thin Veil, with Dr. Gary Simonds

Dementia is something that has touched my family in a terrible way. My mother, whose memory was always sharp as a tack, has been battling dementia for years. While her long term memory is still very much intact, she struggles to remember anything in the recent past....

read more
From Brain Surgery to Bestseller, with Sara Staggs

From Brain Surgery to Bestseller, with Sara Staggs

Who would play Lion-O in a live action adaptation of Thundercats? Today’s guest, Sara Staggs, needed the eye of Thundera to help answer that question, but you didn’t come here for 80’s cartoons, did you?  Meet Sara Staggs Sara is an epileptic who had to leave her job...

read more
Fostering Change in Foster Care, with Jenell Jones

Fostering Change in Foster Care, with Jenell Jones

Jenell Jones and her family opened up their home to foster, and later adopt Mercy, an eight year old girl in need of a home. Mercy came with a secret, though—her traumatic past. The traumas experienced by this young child started to manifest itself in behavioral...

read more
Factual Fictions, with Lindsay Cameron

Factual Fictions, with Lindsay Cameron

I love hearing how authors come up with the ideas for their books and today’s guest, bestselling author Lindsay Cameron, doesn’t disappoint. Listen in to hear about how the Ashley Madison data breach and Lindsay’s own experience on a neighborhood parenting forum...

read more
Writing Collaboratively, with Bestselling Author Andrea Bartz

Writing Collaboratively, with Bestselling Author Andrea Bartz

I’m thrilled to welcome Andrea Bartz back on Uncorking a Story. This time we discuss her latest novel, The Spare Room, and a big revelation! Meet Andrea Bartz Andrea is a Brooklyn-based journalist and the New York Times bestselling author of the Reese's Book Club pick...

read more
Inside the Squared Circle, with Author Charlie Jenkins

Inside the Squared Circle, with Author Charlie Jenkins

When I was a kid, my brother Jimmy and I would watch wrestling all the time. The colorful characters, soap opera like drama, and high flying action had us hooked on the WWF like most of its superstars were hooked on Colombian marching powder. When offered the...

read more
Taking Care while Giving Care, with Suzanne Marriott

Taking Care while Giving Care, with Suzanne Marriott

What happens when "in sickness and in health" becomes "in sickness"? Today’s guest, author Suzanne Marriott addresses that question, and many others, in her memoir Watching for Dragonflies: A Caregiver’s Transformative Journey. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to...

read more
Vulnerability In Fiction Writing: Advice From Hannah Halperin

Vulnerability In Fiction Writing: Advice From Hannah Halperin

In this podcast episode, Mike interviews author Hanna Halperin about her latest novel, I Could Live Here Forever.  Meet Hannah Halperin Hanna is the author of Something Wild, which won the 2021 Edward Lewis Wallant Award and was a finalist for the 2021 National Jewish...

read more
Treating Trauma through Psychedelics, with Shannon Duncan

Treating Trauma through Psychedelics, with Shannon Duncan

On today's episode of Uncorking a Story, Author Shannon Duncan discusses the use of psychedelics as a tool for healing trauma, particularly childhood trauma and complex PTSD. The conversation revolves around the idea that psychedelics can be used to unlock the...

read more
Write from your Heart, with Karen White

Write from your Heart, with Karen White

In this podcast episode, Mike interviews Karen White, a successful author of Southern women's fiction with a paranormal twist. Karen shares her journey as a writer and how she got started in the industry. She emphasizes the importance of reading and writing...

read more

Stay Connected to Get The Latest Podcast Alerts