Uncorking a Story

Listen in to Uncorking a Story, where we pop the cork on hidden narratives and delve deep into the brilliant minds of your favorite authors. Get ready to unlock the magic behind your favorite books, one unforgettable story at a time. Hit that subscribe button and never miss a sip of inspiration!

Uncorking a Story is a arts podcast hosted by Michael Carlon, with 491 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Michael Carlon hosts Uncorking a Story, a arts show with 491 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #492

  Carol Snow on The Girl on the Beach

  Aug 18, 202643 min

  "You really have to love the process. It can't be about, 'Oh, if I am an author, everyone will respect me so much.' You really have to love the process of it or there kind of isn't any point to doing it." — Carol Snow About This Episode Carol Snow is the author of ten books spanning romantic comedy, young adult fiction, and now psychological thrillers. She holds a BA in psychology from Brown University and a master's in teaching English from Boston College. Originally from New Jersey, she now splits her time between Cape Cod and Southern California. Her latest novel, The Girl on the Beach, is a gripping psychological thriller set along the coastline of Santa Barbara's American Riviera. It follows a wealthy Montecito couple, their four-year-old daughter, and the babysitter whose summer with the family ends in tragedy — and whose obsession with the truth may be the only thing keeping hope alive. Mike and Carol talk about growing up as an avid reader in Chatham, Massachusetts (where they share deep roots), the 16-year journey from first serious writing to first publication, switching genres multiple times, recovering from creative burnout, and why aspiring writers should focus on craft long before they worry about getting published. Key Takeaways 1. Readers become writers. Carol grew up in a family of avid readers, spent summers at a Cape Cod beach house without television, and devoured stacks of library books. That foundation — reading widely and constantly — is where her writing life began. 2. Sixteen years is not unusual. From the time Carol got serious about writing to the publication of her first novel, roughly sixteen years passed. Overnight success stories exist but are rare. Persistence and love of the craft are what carry you through. 3. Writing groups matter. After taking a fiction-writing class at Harvard Extension School, Carol and half the class formed a monthly writing group that applied the critique principles they'd been taught. That community kept the work moving forward. 4. Switching genres follows your reading life. Carol moved from romantic comedy to YA to psychological thrillers not out of strategy but because her reading interests evolved. She writes what she wants to read — and her psychology degree gives her thrillers an extra layer of character insight. 5. Burnout is real — and recoverable. After nine books in ten years, Carol hit a wall. She took time away, learned oil painting, and eventually returned with renewed gratitude and a fresh perspective. The ten-year gap between books taught her that stepping back can be a form of progress. 6. Wealth can't replace connection. In The Girl on the Beach, the ultra-wealthy parents are paradoxically the most isolated when tragedy strikes. Their money insulated them from building deep relationships, and when they need support most, no one is truly there. 7. Focus on craft before publication. Carol's single biggest piece of advice for aspiring writers: work on the writing itself before worrying about getting published. If you rush to publication before your craft is ready, you won't be prepared to sustain a career even if you get lucky early. 8. Don't take rejection personally — but do listen to feedback. A college professor told Carol she wasn't good enough. She ignored the verdict but kept working. The key distinction: rejection stings, but using feedback to improve is what separates writers who grow from those who quit. Get the Book The Girl on the Beach by Carol Snow Amazon: https://amzn.to/4wwfTjS Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9798892425773 Connect with Carol Website: https://www.carolsnow.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolsnowbooks/ Connect with Your Host Mike Carlon | Uncorking a Story Website: https://uncorkingastory.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uncorkingastory Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory Subscribe & Leave a Review — It helps more readers and writers find the show! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/uncorking-a-story/id563636205 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5HZiAEtFlhAzk60Z4eAkhY --- Uncorking a Story is produced by Mike Carlon. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  Episode #491

  Downloads from Spirit, with Katherine Marie

  Aug 11, 202640 min

  "You're not alone. You really have guidance and support available to you. For all those people that are sitting there in silos that are frustrated with life and feel like they could use a friend — they are there with you. You just need to open up to it." — Katherine Marie Katherine Marie spent decades as a computer technology analyst — a world of algorithms, software installations, and zeros and ones. Then a road trip to Sedona, a book that fell into her lap, and a growing sense of intuition she couldn't ignore led her down a very different path. Her latest book, High Five Your Spirit Guides, is a beginner-friendly, hands-on guide to connecting with your intuition and building a relationship with what she calls your "soul team" — the spirit guides, angels, and allies she believes are available to everyone. Mike and Katherine talk about bridging the gap between analytical thinking and spiritual experience, how she received "downloads" while writing the book, what a spirit guide actually is, the role of signs and repeating numbers, and why even thirty seconds of quiet can be enough to make a connection. Key Takeaways: 1. Spirit guides are a helpful presence — and they look different for everyone. For Katherine, they manifest as beings she journals with. For others, it might be a strong gut feeling, a spirit animal, or just a sense of intuition. There's no prescribed rule. 2. You can have a whole team. Katherine describes a "soul team" that includes your core daily guides, angels who come and go based on need, ascended masters, archangels, and even spirit animals — all working together. 3. Signs are everywhere if you're paying attention. Repeating numbers (like 11:11), feathers on the sidewalk, heart shapes in the clouds — Katherine says these are ways your guides communicate that you're on the right path or that you're loved. 4. You don't need a mountaintop meditation. Even a thirty-second "micro meditation" — a deep breath and counting down from ten — can create enough of a gap for spirit to come in. You can also connect while walking or in any relaxed flow state. 5. Skepticism and spirituality can coexist. Katherine's analytical background made her push back hard at first. But research showed her she wasn't alone in these experiences, and over time she learned to trust what she was receiving. 6. The book was co-written with her guides. Katherine describes sitting down and receiving "downloads" — knowing what chapter to write, writing detailed content about tarot or spirit signs, then fact-checking it against reference books and finding it accurate. 7. Anyone can do this. The barrier isn't talent or special ability — it's willingness to quiet the noise, suspend ingrained beliefs, and simply ask: "Are you there?" Buy High Five Your Spirit Guides: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FG7RVLJP Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-five-your-spirit-guides-katherine-marie/0aba424e434213c2 Connect with Katherine: Website: https://innercompassmedia.com/katherinemarie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katherinemarieinnercompass Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katherinemarie1111/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@katherine.marie1111 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KatherineMarie-1111 Connect with Mike: Website: https://uncorkingastory.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uncorkingastory Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  Episode #488

  Nikki Mamanno on Breaking Good

  Jul 30, 202635 min

  "I've been at the bottom of the mountain and I've looked up and it looked like the top was a million miles away and it felt like I couldn't do it a hundred times over. And I've taken that step and sometimes I don't look up, I just keep stepping, and eventually I look back and I've gained a little ground." — Nikki Mammano Nikki Mammano's debut memoir Breaking Good is exactly what it sounds like — a play on Breaking Bad, but in reverse. Raised in the greater New York metro area, Nikki went to Hawaii at twenty for a fresh start and college. Instead, she fell into meth addiction and the criminal underworld of Waikiki. What followed was prison, homelessness, and prostitution — before a discovery in a motel room changed everything. Now a mother of two adult daughters in Montclair, New Jersey, Nikki has spent three decades rebuilding her life and decided it was time to tell the story. Mike and Nikki talk about why addiction is the disease of trauma and disconnection, the moment she found out she was pregnant, what it's like to reveal your past to a PTA community, and why your story is never over — no matter how far gone you think you are. Key Takeaways: 1. Addiction is the disease of trauma and disconnection. Nikki didn't wake up wanting to be a drug dealer. Childhood trauma that started young — and betrayal by nearly everyone around her — set the wheels in motion long before Hawaii. 2. Getting clean isn't the same as getting healed. Nikki went to rehab and a halfway house before Hawaii and had a year of sobriety. But without doing the deeper work of understanding why she used, she relapsed the first night she arrived at a party in Waikiki. 3. Your story is not over. The prologue opens in a motel room where Nikki is at rock bottom — homeless, addicted, working as a prostitute. Then she discovers she's pregnant. That moment of choice became the beginning of her way back. 4. Vulnerability is freedom. Writing the most authentic, unsanitized version of her story was the most vulnerable Nikki has ever been. But by refusing to alter or hide anything, she found a radical acceptance and freedom she'd never experienced before. 5. Redemption is ongoing work. Breaking good isn't a one-time event. It's how Nikki shows up every day — as a friend, a community member, a parent, and now as an author helping others who've been through what she's been through. 6. Take the risk. Nikki's community, her daughters, and her readers have met her story with open arms. The fear of judgment was real, but the connection on the other side has been life-changing. Buy Breaking Good: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Good-Memoir-Nikki-Mammano/dp/B0FP5JX13F/ Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/breaking-good-a-memoir-nikki-mammano/76dd5cc34382c172 Connect with Nikki: Website: https://www.nikkimammano.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikki_mammano/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nikkimammano Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikki.mammano.3 Connect with Mike: Website: https://uncorkingastory.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uncorkingastory Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  Episode #489

  Jim Carlon on Keeping the Faith

  Jul 28, 202645 min

  "Imagine somebody who's been disconnected from this church and he's reignited. That fire is back, that spark is back. Imagine what that one person can do in his life. If that happens one time, the eighteen months it took to put this thing together will have been worth it." — Jim Carlon Jim Carlon is a lawyer, army veteran, and lifelong Catholic whose twenty-five years of practice have shaped a deep commitment to wellness in the legal profession. He founded the Fairfield County Bar Association's Wellness Committee and serves on the board of the Care Coalition, a Westchester-based nonprofit focused on mental health. A Fairfield University grad and former JAG Corps officer, Jim is also a returning guest — his first appearance covered Conversation with a Desperate Man, a fictionalized account of his time in a psychiatric hospital. His new book, Keep the Faith: A Man's Guide to Staying Catholic After Divorce, grew out of a simple moment: his wife Kelly's refusal to consider anything but a Catholic framework for their wedding. That question — why is this faith non-negotiable? — became the seed of the book, especially after a string of family losses tested everything. Mike and Jim talk about the intellectual case for staying Catholic, what the annulment process actually looks like, the biggest misconceptions about divorce and the Church, and why marriage prep could use a boot-camp overhaul. Key Takeaways: 1. Write the book you can't find. Jim searched for a direct, practical resource for divorced Catholic men and came up empty. So he wrote one — a reminder that the best books fill a gap only the author can see. 2. Start with the why. Part one of the book gives ten reasons to remain Catholic after divorce. Jim's logic: if the why isn't compelling enough, nobody will stick around for the how — which is genuinely difficult. 3. The Eucharist is the intellectual anchor. Jim's core argument is simple: if you believe in transubstantiation — the actual presence of Christ in the Eucharist — there's no lateral move to another denomination that preserves that belief. 4. The biggest myth: you're automatically excluded. A divorced Catholic who is single and not in another relationship can fully participate in the liturgy. Civil divorce alone does not make you more of a sinner than anyone else in the pews. 5. The annulment process is hard — by design. It takes years, requires witnesses, involves reading your ex-spouse's file, and feels like reopening an old wound. But Jim found real healing in it: space to understand what happened spiritually and emotionally, separate from the civil proceedings. 6. Talk to a priest, not to yourself. Jim's experience at his mother's funeral — where a quick conversation led to confession and communion in minutes — illustrates how pastoral reality is often more welcoming than the narrative people construct in isolation. 7. Marriage prep needs more realism. Jim and Mike riff on putting engaged couples through practical stress tests — sleep deprivation, hunger, a crowded airport — instead of hypothetical "what if" discussions. The relationship between spouses must be paramount, second only to the relationship with God. 8. Grief upon grief can strengthen a marriage. Kelly and Jim lost family members almost immediately after their wedding. Three years in, they feel like they've lived a lifetime together — and the shared trials confirmed the partnership. Buy Keep the Faith: Amazon: https://amzn.to/4wXx7Y9 Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9798996568604 Also by Jim Carlon: Conversation with a Desperate Man — a fictionalized account of his stay and recovery at Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut. Connect with Jim: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keepthefaithrcc/ Connect with Mike: Website: https://uncorkingastory.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uncorkingastory Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  Episode #488

  Square Hearts and Second Chances, with Julee Balko

  Jul 21, 202627 min

  "It was just as important for me to write a love story where the woman falls back in love with herself as much as falling in love with a man." — Julee Balko Julee Balko is a returning guest — an author, poet, and freelance writer whose third novel, Square Hearts, dropped this past May from Black Rose Writing. Mike and Julee pick up where they left off two years ago (her last visit was for The Me List) and dig into how grief becomes creative fuel, why she gave five chapters to a neurodivergent child's point of view, and what happens when your neighbor turns out to be a narcissist. They also swap stories about losing parents, the dietary habits of grieving fathers, and why Hallmark movies are basically therapy. Plus: Julee teases a fourth novel about a woman whose romance-novel obsession starts to wreck her marriage. Key Takeaways: 1. Teachers can decide your career. Julee traces her entire writing life back to her fourth and fifth grade teachers who made a big deal about her writing. That early encouragement became identity — she never stopped thinking of herself as a writer. 2. Grief got her to the page. Her debut, The Things We Keep, was written after her mother passed — during the sleep-deprived early days of raising twins. Square Hearts revisits grief not as a wound to process but as something you learn to carry while opening yourself to love again. 3. Neurodivergent daughters inspired neurodivergent representation. Julee has three neurodivergent daughters and noticed that girls with autism are underrepresented in fiction. She interviewed multiple children to build the character of Daisy, who gets five chapters from her own point of view. Readers with autistic children have told her she got it right. 4. The narcissist next door came from real life. After a friendship with a narcissist ended, Julee became fascinated not by the narcissist's behavior but by how her own behavior changed in response. That observation became the character Mave — a cautionary take on "found family" gone wrong. 5. Square Hearts is a love story with a twist. It's a second-chance romance, but the real love story is Nicola falling back in love with herself. The title comes from the idea that every heart has four sides — and after loss, you have to figure out how to put those sides back together. 6. Book four is underway. Julee is about halfway through a novel about a woman obsessed with romance novels whose lofty expectations start undermining her marriage. She describes it as snarky — comparisons between steamy book boyfriends and the reality of heating pads in a long marriage. Connect with Julee: Website: https://juleebalko.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juleebalko/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@juleebalko Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Julee-Balko-author-101311256267474 Threads: https://www.threads.com/@juleebalko Twitter: https://twitter.com/misplacedcomma2 Connect with Mike: Website: https://uncorkingastory.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uncorkingastory Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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