45 Forward #250 - Everyone Has a Book in Them. Here’s How to Finally Write Yours

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My goal is really I think that I'm very much
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a cheerleader, a dream maker.
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Maybe I'm even a fairy godmother.
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I don't know, but I'm here to help people to
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achieve that goal of book publication.
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Hello everyone, I'm Ron Roell, the host of forty five Forward,
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where my mission is to help you make the second
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half of life even better than the first. If you
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ever looked out on an iceberg filled with penguins and
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one of them was read, well, you'd notice it right away.
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Right well, that's the spirit behind Red Penguin Books, a
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company that helps authors stand out and shares their voices
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with the world. And today's show, I'll be talking with
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Stephanie Larkin, the founder and president of Red Penguin, an
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independent book and web development company which was launched in
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an unusual way. Stephanie also has an unusually passionate vision
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to help writers of all types realize their dream to
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become published authors. Joining Stephanie today is someone very special,
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her mother, Christine Mrgeri, who is also now part of
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Red Penguin AND's proving that it's never too late to
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start a new chapter in life. So now let's meet
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my guest Stephanie Larkin and Christine Mrgeri, Stephanie, Chris, welcome
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to the show.
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Thank you, thank you so much.
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Nice nice introduction.
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So, guys, as I intimated in the introduction, this is
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an unusual way to launch a publisher company. Stephanie sort
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of flipped the script, and so let's talk about that. Usually,
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you know, people start books and then they move to
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digital platforms. You guys have gone the other way.
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So so yes, certainly, I'm I'm probably one of the
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very few publishers in the world who didn't either major
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in creative writing or do an internship with you know,
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random House when I was in college. I came to
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it because I had started a web design company about
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seventeen eighteen years ago. And even that company was born
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out of necessity. It wasn't something that I said, Oh,
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I'm dying to form a web design company. But my
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own husband was running in a nonprofit organization and their
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web designer, who was also their treasurer, embezzled all of
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the money. So the organization was left bankrupt and with
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no website. So one night over dinner, my husband had said,
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oh my gosh, we have no money and we have
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no website, and I said, well, I can't help with
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the money, but I can make.
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You a website. How hard could it be. I'll read
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a book and I read them a website.
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And somebody heard and said, Stephanie, I heard you know
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how to make websites.
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And I made another one, and another one.
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By about the third or fourth one, I decided this
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could be a business.
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Why don't I incorporate?
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And I formed a company that at that time was
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called Red Penguin Web Solutions. And I decided to name
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it Red Penguin partly because I had a bit of
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a vision in my head of a lot of objects
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that looked the same and one of them looked different,
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maybe like the purple python or the crimson cow or something.
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That there was a lot of sameness. And penguins are
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kind of cute.
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If there were a whole lot of penguins on an
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iceberg and one of them.
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Was red, you'd see it. You'd stand out.
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And Ron I also have to tell you that at
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the beginning, we didn't have a lot of money, so
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we could print all of our materials in black and white,
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and I just took a red cheffie and I would
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just color one Penguin Red and it worked.
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So Rentenguin Web Solutions was born.
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Quite a long I think it was two thousand and
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seven that we started that company, and that company is
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still going strong. We have loads and loads of schools, churches,
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nonprofits and businesses that we handle websites and digital marketing
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for all over the.
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Tri State area.
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You are standing out, and we are standing out.
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We are standing out. And then we were doing a
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lot of work for authors with their.
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Digital books and websites. And I was doing a lot
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of work for the National Writers' Union. In fact, probably
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about eight years ago.
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Or so, I was I was a keynote speaker at.
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A National Writers Union event and I was there to
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talk about websites. And I was sitting in the back
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of the auditorium waiting my turn, and they were authors
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and whatnot up on the stage talking and I sat
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in the back and I thought, yea, you know a
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lot of our authors would say, well, I'd like to
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have a print book.
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Can I can?
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How do I get published? And I'd say, I don't
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really know. And I was sitting there in the back
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and I said, hey, we.
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Could do that.
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So I came home from you know, giving my speech,
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and I came home and said to my husband, who's
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who's a good sport and goes along with the crazy
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ideas I have. I came home and said, hey, honey,
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I decided I'm opening a publishing company.
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And he said, of course you are, of course you are.
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And of course we were already called Red Penguin Web Solutions.
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We were then called Red Penguin Books, and we added
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the book portion to it.
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People will often ask me if we are related.
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To Penguin Books Pequin, which is now also owned by
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Random House, and no, we just like the same bird.
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Penguin.
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Random House publishes about five thousand books a year.
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We publish about one hundred, much smaller Penguin. But one
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thing that's wonderful.
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About us, and I love Penguin random House, but I'm
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sure they can't name all of.
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Their books or all of their authors, and we certainly can.
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We have them on speed dial.
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We are We are very family oriented, not just in
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our office but with our with our clients. We have
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barbecues and parties and all of our authors come. So
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we are a small independent press and absolutely love what
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we do.
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Absolutely yeah, yeah, So you flip the script and an
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interesting way. Your mom is flipped the script in a
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different way. But usually, you know, in family oriented companies,
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it's the older generation that starts. But now, now, Chris,
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tell us how you joined the journey, and it's a
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little background about how you came into this situation.
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Well after my from passed and I moved back back
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down to Queens. You know, she was she was starting
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her business and you know there I needed help. So
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I was a little bit acquainted with you know, we're
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talking about when when computers first really started. I mean
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I recall working on computers where we had a phone
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and we put it on the motive. Yes, absolutely, So
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you know, I was familiar with how computers worked. And
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then I retired, and then my husband passed away, and
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then I moved back to Queens. But I understood a
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little bit how because.
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She's a champ at it. She is a shamped at it.
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So Stephanie set me down and told me how to
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you know, data process and you know, get things up
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on the websites and change things that were up there.
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She can read HTML code. She's fantastic.
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It's been a long time.
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Yeah, but but that's you know, so so you not
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only break the stereotype.
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You know, you're you're eighty two? Is that right?
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Yes?
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Sorry, yes, yes, yes.
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Yes, So so you you break the age stereotype, and
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you also break the family business stereotype.
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Yeah. And and also the stereotype that well, you know, I.
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Work with a lot of senior issues and one of
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them is, okay, how do you teach seniors technology and
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they don't like it and it's difficult. Well, you've basically
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broken that meme too, So you you're you're, you're, you're
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a three time stereotype breaker. I love it, Stephanie.
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I'll have somebody who will say to her, well, you know,
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I can't do this this email stuff because I'm six,
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and she says to them, my mother works for me
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and she's eighty two exactly, So my mother can do it,
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our clients can do it.
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News.
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So how do you let's talk a little bit about
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your workplace. I mean I want to well, in the
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third chapter we'll talking more in depth about that.
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But but but how.
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Do people respond to you, Christine? You know, in terms
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of younger people work with you, are they surprised? I
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mean they're probably a little bit surprised, and maybe humiliated really.
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A very family business. My daughter's sister in WW works
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for us, my grandson works for us, and two of
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her best friends from years ago.
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We're where the office people.
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And then she's got lots of people who are working
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from home remotely. But so I've known these girls since,
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you know, her children were born because they had children
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are all the same age.
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And also you told me, and I found this fascinating.
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I think you might like this ron that my mother
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has a lot of friends who work for their children.
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You'd mentioned other people who are working for their children.
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There might be someone who's working for their daughter who's
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a lawyer, someone who's working for their son who's an accountant.
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So I think that it's almost like a stage of
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life that that the uh children might work for the parents,
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but at some point the parents are working for the children.
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I'm wondering which of my three children I'm gonna work
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for at some point, I know which one it's gonna be.
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We all know which one it's gonna be.
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But uh, you know, mom, Mom had mentioned that when
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she is, you know, at a social event with other friends,
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she has other friends who are doing the same thing,
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and they are working for their children.
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Yes, yes, it's really interesting. One one of them particularly
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has uh her her son has several gas stations and
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she doesn't pay roll for.
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Wow, that's a big deal. That's a big deal to
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pay roll for several gas stations.
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So it's not, you know, as peculiar as it sounds.
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Yeah, there's a lot of people out there in this
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generational flip.
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Yes, you might say, and you know, eighty is the
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new sixty.
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He is absolutely the new sixty.
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Pretty soon, it's gonna be a new fifty. Guys.
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Yes, well I think she's doing great.
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And for sure, if eighty is the new sixty, I
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love that, Yes, because that means that I'm only thirty.
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There you go, there you go. Yeah.
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So let's talk about so again now, Stephanie. So you're
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changing the script in lots of ways. And I've worked
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with a few major publishers and so you are very different.
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And so there are two different cultures I want to
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talk about one you started to talk about, which is
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your sort of your workplace culture, which we'll get into
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a little bit more later, but versus the publishing culture.
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So you know, your your mission is.
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To change lives, one book at a time, so talk
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a little bit about how you work with the authors.
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You know, and you're an author yourself, so so I've
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read a little bit about you, and you've said that
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there is something truly transformative about saying your name on
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the cover of a book, because.
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At that moment you're not a writer. You're an author.
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So talk about how you work with authors, and now
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also how you find them and they find you.
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Yeah, well they find me. They definitely find me. Most
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find me through someone else. I would say ninety nine
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point nine percent of our business is referral. I'm not
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sure which percentage is not, because everyone comes through someone else,
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you know.
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There's there was a survey a number of years.
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Ago, and I firmly believe this that ninety percent of
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people surveyed want to write a book. And I definitely
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believe that because when I walk into a room and
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I'm introduced and people say, oh, you know, Stephanie is
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a publisher. Everyone I meet they wrote a book. They
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want to write a book.
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They've got a book and a drawer, they've got a
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book in a head, they have idea. Everybody wants to
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write a book.
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But only a very small percentage of them actually achieve
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what is a very very common bucket list item. So
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my goal is really I think that I'm very much
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a cheerleader, a dream maker. Maybe I'm even a fairy godmother.
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I don't know, but I'm here to help people.
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To achieve that goal of book publication. And people have.
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Lots of reasons why they want to write a book.
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It could be because you know, they had such a
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crazy family that people have always said you should write
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a book about that, or they did something amazing, or
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maybe it's a business owner who wants to write a
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book to get more clients.
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And build their business.
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Or maybe someone has two grandchildren and they want to
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be able to share a children's book with the story.
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So there were as many reasons for writing a book
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as there are people, and we publish all of them.
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We do not specialize.
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Because I wanted to be able to be there as
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a conduit for people whatever their reason. If their reason
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is because they want to preserve family history, I'm there.
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If their reason is because, I mean, there are people
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who think in technicolor.
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They dream like whole worlds, you know.
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Fantasy and science fiction, and I'm there to help for
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that too. So whatever the reason, is my first thing
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when I meet someone is tell.
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Me why why you are writing this book, and let's
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let's make that goal. Let's make that dream happen. And
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there is nothing like seeing a person holding a book
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with their name, with their name on the book. There's
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nothing like it. It's it's an amazing moment.
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It's we are very celebratory because like I said, it's
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it's really.
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Like it's like climbing Mount Everest. You did it.
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You did something that so many people want to do.
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And that's what I'm here for is to make it happen,
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whatever your reason, whatever your goal.
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And so you work very closely with the authors and
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you organize their the books and you have different anthologies,
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right we do.
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We also have an anthology series that my son actually
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who works for us, he dripped it up during COVID
285
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and there were so many people locked up during COVID
286
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and we really couldn't do the things we wanted, and
287
00:15:32.840 --> 00:15:37.399
he thought, why don't we publish. We were publishing every
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00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:41.240
two weeks a new anthology during COVID. We're down to about,
289
00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:44.279
you know, every two months now because you know, things
290
00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:48.080
have gotten busier. But what the anthology series and it
291
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has over fifty volumes.
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We would announce a topic. Maybe the topic was romance.
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Or maybe the topic was winter, or the topic was
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you know, or robots, or we have one that's just
295
00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:07.120
about cat mysteries, Pets on the prow that's just about
296
00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:11.000
mysteries involving a pet. And people were whole and they
297
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would write stories or poems.
298
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And submit them.
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And we receive submissions from six continents.
300
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The only one we don't have is Antarctica.
301
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And okay, where penguins are.
302
00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:26.799
Where penguins are exactly.
303
00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:29.200
And it was a great way for people who were
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00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:32.879
stuck in their house to have something to do and
305
00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:34.200
to be part of a community.
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00:16:34.679 --> 00:16:35.840
And we would get on.
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Zoom calls with all the authors and do readings and
308
00:16:39.320 --> 00:16:42.840
share these books. I have authors who are in forty
309
00:16:42.919 --> 00:16:46.559
five of our anthologies because every time we post, we're
310
00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:47.440
going to have a new theme.
311
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Even if they weren't comfortable writing in that genre, they
312
00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:52.000
would write.
313
00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:56.600
And we actually have kind of morphed our anthology. Now
314
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we do location based, so we had one on pas Mars,
315
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one on Rome, one on London.
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00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:04.680
New York just came out.
317
00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:07.839
We have California and Florida coming out so people could
318
00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:09.039
write stories about.
319
00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:10.759
Going to Disney World or lying on the.
320
00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:13.440
Beach or whatever it might be, and it gets those
321
00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:15.880
creative juices going for a lot of people.
322
00:17:17.400 --> 00:17:19.960
Now, I'm sure there are lots of little surprises and
323
00:17:20.400 --> 00:17:23.960
unexpected things in the publishing industry, as I've experienced myself.
324
00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:27.160
But tell us so I know that you have a
325
00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:29.799
couple of very interesting stories, and one of them in
326
00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:34.240
particular shows your devotion to getting books out, and that's
327
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the book party, or at least end all parties. So
328
00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:37.880
tell us that story.
329
00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:38.960
That's a good story.
330
00:17:39.400 --> 00:17:43.000
And if an author has a book event, you know,
331
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we want those books to be at that event. And
332
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like any of us, ron we're at the mercy of
333
00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:52.279
printers and shipping companies and everything else.
334
00:17:52.319 --> 00:17:56.839
But we had a big event this past winter. Over
335
00:17:56.880 --> 00:17:58.880
a thousand people were going to be there. They had
336
00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:01.319
ordered a thousand books for an event.
337
00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:04.599
And there was a big snowstorm that came through the
338
00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:09.200
northeast and we were crossing our fingers that they would
339
00:18:09.319 --> 00:18:13.039
arrive on time. So I finally threw in the towel
340
00:18:13.119 --> 00:18:15.200
and said, I Am not going to sit.
341
00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:17.000
Here and just hope that they come.
342
00:18:17.640 --> 00:18:20.640
And my assistant and very good friend Denise got in
343
00:18:20.680 --> 00:18:24.359
the car with me and we drove New York, New Jersey,
344
00:18:24.519 --> 00:18:28.200
Delaware down to Maryland. I called the printer in advance
345
00:18:28.279 --> 00:18:31.759
and said, I'm coming with a van. I'm not gonna
346
00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:34.359
worry about these books. Put them in the back of
347
00:18:34.359 --> 00:18:37.480
my van, and we drove down. They loaded up a
348
00:18:37.640 --> 00:18:41.799
thousand books into my van. We drove back, and I
349
00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:45.039
thought that this would just be a fun story to
350
00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:49.680
tell until we were crossing the Verizana Bridge and all
351
00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:52.920
of a sudden, my car was overheating and I got
352
00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:56.079
to the other side in Brooklyn, but boom.
353
00:18:56.599 --> 00:18:59.799
It was dead, dead in the water. And I called
354
00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:02.480
my husband, who drove over.
355
00:19:02.680 --> 00:19:05.400
He had to actually borrow your car because your car
356
00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:07.640
was the only other car big enough to fit.
357
00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:08.400
All the books.
358
00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:12.559
And drove to Brooklyn and we transported all the boxes
359
00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:15.160
and then drove your car out to.
360
00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:18.680
The book event. We will we will do anything.
361
00:19:18.279 --> 00:19:23.240
In mountains to support our authors, and I hope they
362
00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:23.880
appreciate it.
363
00:19:23.960 --> 00:19:26.000
I know they did. I know they did.
364
00:19:27.200 --> 00:19:30.440
But you know, sometimes you got to drive four states
365
00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:32.200
away to make it happen.
366
00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:35.519
So listen, let me switch back to Chris a little
367
00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:38.039
bit now and talk about how you work with the company.
368
00:19:38.039 --> 00:19:39.559
What sort of things do you do.
369
00:19:40.559 --> 00:19:44.160
I have a couple of things that are like my job.
370
00:19:45.319 --> 00:19:46.680
I do a lot of jobs.
371
00:19:46.920 --> 00:19:48.319
I don't even know if you can remember them all,
372
00:19:48.359 --> 00:19:48.640
you can.
373
00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:48.880
Do a lot.
374
00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:53.960
One of them is with social media instead has a
375
00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:59.000
couple of TV shows, YouTube shows like that. So I
376
00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:01.599
put them up on you I put them up on Facebook,
377
00:20:01.640 --> 00:20:05.359
I put them up on Instagram, I put them on LinkedIn.
378
00:20:06.119 --> 00:20:10.319
So something should be coming up every day on you know,
379
00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:12.519
on those various channels.
380
00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:15.799
And I hope everyone heard the eighty two year olds
381
00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:21.640
who just named dropped Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Yeah, all
382
00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:21.839
of that.
383
00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:25.160
Well, I'm a big YouTube watcher.
384
00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:28.759
Actually, yes, your YouTube watcher, and now you're content too.
385
00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:33.079
And the other thing that I do is with our
386
00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:38.240
companies that work with us, who have their web their
387
00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:41.039
web people, you know, they're not authors, their web people.
388
00:20:42.200 --> 00:20:46.039
So we every every week we put up we change
389
00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:49.039
what their you know, whatever it is that they might
390
00:20:49.079 --> 00:20:53.119
be having, you know, happening that week, we put it
391
00:20:53.160 --> 00:20:55.519
on the front page of their website.
392
00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:57.640
They many of the churches we.
393
00:20:57.680 --> 00:21:01.079
Do churches, and many of them put the bulletins up
394
00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:02.680
every week so that they can.
395
00:21:02.519 --> 00:21:03.279
See with it.
396
00:21:03.319 --> 00:21:05.400
But we also change their front page.
397
00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:08.920
Yep, you know they're having this kind of an affair
398
00:21:09.079 --> 00:21:11.240
or whatever, and I changed their front page.
399
00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:14.920
And you handle our calendars also, Yeah, a lot of
400
00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:19.680
things and a lot of correspondents. Yeah, my mother is
401
00:21:19.720 --> 00:21:24.200
actually our only staff member that is in both the
402
00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:27.839
web ends and the book ends. You know, most of
403
00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:31.680
us on the staff are either dealing with websites or
404
00:21:31.720 --> 00:21:32.559
dealing with books.
405
00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:33.839
You actually do both.
406
00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:37.200
You deal with websites on like the second half of
407
00:21:37.240 --> 00:21:39.920
the week, like Thursday and Friday, and she deals with
408
00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:40.799
books and.
409
00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:43.519
Authors on the early part of each week. So she
410
00:21:43.559 --> 00:21:44.279
has to know a lot.
411
00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:49.839
So let me so, you know, for people who know
412
00:21:49.880 --> 00:21:57.839
your background, you and you started out.
413
00:21:55.319 --> 00:21:58.960
Yes, no, but you know working in the post office
414
00:21:58.960 --> 00:22:03.440
as a manager toward the end of my career, and
415
00:22:03.480 --> 00:22:06.799
I'll never forget it. I just mentioned, you know, typing
416
00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:08.880
things and you want to get it to the main frame.
417
00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:12.160
And in those days, because I'm talking about early seventies,
418
00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:17.440
you know, it was quite a big deal for all
419
00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:19.839
of us, you know, doing this kind of thing. Like
420
00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:23.880
I said, put the phone on the motor and feed
421
00:22:24.039 --> 00:22:27.519
in the information that you've put on. So but I
422
00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:30.960
was fascinated by the very fact that it worked. In fact,
423
00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:34.160
even before that, years and years ago, when I first
424
00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:37.000
got a job, I was working for the telephone company,
425
00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:40.119
and I was fascinated by the fact that we could
426
00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:44.480
type something in the main office and they got it
427
00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:46.680
at the maintenance office.
428
00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:48.920
It was a lot of facts.
429
00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:53.319
It was kind of like telegraphing, but you know, it
430
00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:55.799
was it was really very cool, and it kind of
431
00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:59.200
it kind of makes you aware that these kind of
432
00:22:59.240 --> 00:23:03.000
things are I have going to be happening, and you know,
433
00:23:03.079 --> 00:23:07.039
you want to be on the train when it comes exactly.
434
00:23:07.240 --> 00:23:09.759
What's funny you mentioned the word mainframe computer. I forgot
435
00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:11.759
that's what they were called. Yeah, and now we have
436
00:23:11.799 --> 00:23:13.920
the cloud, yes, yes.
437
00:23:13.720 --> 00:23:16.720
But those mainframe computers they were in building all by
438
00:23:16.759 --> 00:23:18.599
themselves and it was freezing.
439
00:23:18.200 --> 00:23:21.359
And that going right, right, A long time.
440
00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:23.160
Ago, long time computer started first.
441
00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:25.160
But you were right there on the ground floor. So
442
00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:27.200
when she came to work for a computer company, it
443
00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:29.119
was you know, easy.
444
00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:31.519
It was, well, it was it was. It was challenging,
445
00:23:32.039 --> 00:23:33.680
It really was. It was challenging.
446
00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:36.200
And uh, and certainly I enjoy the challenge, you know,
447
00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:39.039
I figure, yeah, keeps my brain going that sure does.
448
00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:42.079
Right, Well, that's what that's that's what we know is
449
00:23:42.119 --> 00:23:45.319
that as you get older, it's important to keep your
450
00:23:45.359 --> 00:23:48.960
brain prime because there is a notion to you know,
451
00:23:49.400 --> 00:23:51.799
use it or lose it, and you're certainly using it.
452
00:23:51.880 --> 00:23:52.119
Yeah.
453
00:23:52.359 --> 00:23:56.480
Yeahs interesting because you know, of course in those days,
454
00:23:57.119 --> 00:24:00.200
the earlier days of the mainframes, right that when they
455
00:24:00.200 --> 00:24:03.680
first came on we know that there are lots of
456
00:24:03.720 --> 00:24:05.799
well a couple of movies now about you know, the
457
00:24:05.880 --> 00:24:09.480
Rise of the rock and Women and Hidden Figures, where
458
00:24:09.960 --> 00:24:15.079
women were really the human computers, right, and and the
459
00:24:15.119 --> 00:24:18.359
people who were actually I guess that they were. This
460
00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:21.720
talks about the space you know program, but you know
461
00:24:21.799 --> 00:24:24.160
that it's the women who did all the calculations to
462
00:24:24.200 --> 00:24:27.240
get the satellites and the rockets up. When the main
463
00:24:27.279 --> 00:24:30.559
frames came on board, initially that people were like, well
464
00:24:30.599 --> 00:24:33.119
I think, let me check, but the women are doing that.
465
00:24:33.319 --> 00:24:38.599
I have more you know, confidence in that. So so yeah,
466
00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:44.839
this is another chapter for you. And so let me
467
00:24:44.880 --> 00:24:48.880
ask you about So what have you Chris and you Stepan,
468
00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:52.279
You've learned about you know, you know, working working together
469
00:24:52.559 --> 00:24:56.039
that that you that you know that that sort of
470
00:24:56.240 --> 00:24:59.200
you know, changed your relationship or you know, enricher in
471
00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:00.519
ways you didn't expect.
472
00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:03.880
I love and I am so spoiled by the fact
473
00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:06.079
that I get to spend so much time with my mother.
474
00:25:06.759 --> 00:25:09.240
I know many of my friends.
475
00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:12.599
Are incredibly envious of how much time I get to
476
00:25:12.640 --> 00:25:16.079
spend with my mother. She's also our office mom, so
477
00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:18.880
I do share her because.
478
00:25:18.839 --> 00:25:20.400
Yes, because her friends are her age.
479
00:25:20.440 --> 00:25:23.400
So yes, my friends are my age and unfortunately don't
480
00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:26.880
get to spend the time with their mothers, so they
481
00:25:26.880 --> 00:25:29.960
are thrilled to have a mom in the office who
482
00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:31.240
takes care of all of us.
483
00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:32.559
I do have to be careful.
484
00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:38.480
She's a little bossy. She's definitely a little bit bossy.
485
00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:41.359
And I gotta tell you when she's gets bossy, my
486
00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:43.960
staff thinks it's the most hilarious.
487
00:25:43.400 --> 00:25:47.400
Thing in the world that she's bossing around. That's okay.
488
00:25:47.839 --> 00:25:50.839
And she's also by far the best dressed in the
489
00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:53.799
office because she remembers, you know, going to an office
490
00:25:53.799 --> 00:25:54.839
and everything coordinates.
491
00:25:54.920 --> 00:25:56.880
Yes, I get dressed back, I go to work right,
492
00:25:57.000 --> 00:25:59.359
and you know, I will.
493
00:25:59.079 --> 00:26:02.200
Often dress just I'm on screens all day. They're in
494
00:26:02.279 --> 00:26:06.000
flip flops and you know, and fine by me. But yes,
495
00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:10.319
my mother comes in. There's always jewelry and the shoes
496
00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:10.839
in the back.
497
00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:13.119
Everything matches. It's great.
498
00:26:15.640 --> 00:26:17.720
So so, Chris, is there anything that you learned that
499
00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:21.039
you didn't expect in working with your daughter that it
500
00:26:21.079 --> 00:26:22.119
would advise people?
501
00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:25.160
I'm terrified should I leave so you could be honest,
502
00:26:27.200 --> 00:26:28.000
not that at all.
503
00:26:28.880 --> 00:26:30.480
Yes, you learn plenty of things.
504
00:26:31.079 --> 00:26:35.440
And the fact of the matter is when I'm at work,
505
00:26:35.880 --> 00:26:39.559
I try very hard, regardless of what she says, to
506
00:26:39.680 --> 00:26:40.960
be an employee.
507
00:26:43.079 --> 00:26:43.839
Do you know what I mean?
508
00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:47.640
I'm okay, I'm one of you know, the four people
509
00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:48.920
who were working for her who.
510
00:26:48.759 --> 00:26:49.960
Are in the office all the time.
511
00:26:50.480 --> 00:26:55.599
And yes, she says I'm bossy, but well, I try
512
00:26:55.680 --> 00:26:58.799
very hard to be an employee and equal with everybody else.
513
00:26:58.839 --> 00:27:02.640
I don't want, you know, special special treatments in any way.
514
00:27:02.839 --> 00:27:05.720
Well, the fact is you were in a huge leadership position,
515
00:27:05.880 --> 00:27:07.960
so you have that nately.
516
00:27:08.039 --> 00:27:09.119
Yeah, but I have to be careful.
517
00:27:11.759 --> 00:27:16.079
And you know, sometimes sometimes when you're very close with
518
00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:17.880
your with your children.
519
00:27:18.599 --> 00:27:22.440
You say steph as a mother, and the girls will
520
00:27:22.599 --> 00:27:23.240
just die.
521
00:27:23.359 --> 00:27:26.279
They will So because my mother gets away with saying
522
00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:28.799
things to me that I know she wouldn't say to
523
00:27:28.839 --> 00:27:29.559
my brother.
524
00:27:31.599 --> 00:27:35.480
I think it's it's made us even closer because we
525
00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:39.000
have so much in common. Because when she starts talking
526
00:27:39.039 --> 00:27:44.279
about things that are going on at work, I was fair.
527
00:27:44.200 --> 00:27:45.039
Yes you were so.
528
00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:48.559
Yes, we all we all grouse about the same things.
529
00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:51.039
We know what went wrong or what went right, and
530
00:27:51.160 --> 00:27:53.799
to celebrate on it's you know, yes.
531
00:27:54.200 --> 00:27:56.640
The other thing I want to mention to you about
532
00:27:57.599 --> 00:28:02.920
her authors very old an author will come into the
533
00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:07.559
office for lunch, so all of us get to meet
534
00:28:07.599 --> 00:28:13.160
that author. So the author has a personal relationship, Yes,
535
00:28:13.319 --> 00:28:14.720
with the entire office.
536
00:28:14.759 --> 00:28:16.279
It's not just you know.
537
00:28:17.359 --> 00:28:19.440
It's not just me too. They meet everybody.
538
00:28:19.559 --> 00:28:20.720
Yeah, they meet everybody.
539
00:28:20.839 --> 00:28:24.720
And then on top of that, she has parties in
540
00:28:24.799 --> 00:28:27.960
her home and invites all the authors, so they meet
541
00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:28.480
each other.
542
00:28:28.759 --> 00:28:29.960
Yep, it's really.
543
00:28:30.680 --> 00:28:33.400
I are family oriented like that. That's why the Red
544
00:28:33.519 --> 00:28:37.119
Penguin family is not just me and my mom. It's
545
00:28:37.160 --> 00:28:40.440
not just our office, which is very close family. But
546
00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:45.240
our clients are family. Yes, you know, if somebody has
547
00:28:45.279 --> 00:28:48.680
a loss, we send them, you know, flowers and a card.
548
00:28:48.759 --> 00:28:51.839
If somebody has a baby, they're getting a new gift
549
00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:54.960
for that baby. We are we are huge about all
550
00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:59.000
of our authors feeling as much part of our family.
551
00:28:58.680 --> 00:29:01.880
As we are with each other in our office. That's
552
00:29:01.920 --> 00:29:02.559
important to me.
553
00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:04.119
Yeah.
554
00:29:04.200 --> 00:29:06.759
Well, that's really is different from traditional publishing because most
555
00:29:06.759 --> 00:29:09.799
of the time, how many books.
556
00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:18.000
House does not send baby gifts or champagne. Oh yes,
557
00:29:18.359 --> 00:29:22.160
we send champagne every time a book is published. And yes,
558
00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:25.279
I'm sure Random House doesn't do that.
559
00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:27.079
Yeah.
560
00:29:27.119 --> 00:29:31.559
Well, other than coming to Red Penguin, any advice from
561
00:29:31.599 --> 00:29:33.680
either of you in terms of it, if somebody you
562
00:29:33.720 --> 00:29:36.079
know you mentioned before, everyone has a book in them.
563
00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:40.319
If someone is coming, you know, to midlife and has
564
00:29:40.359 --> 00:29:42.640
a book in them, any advice you'd give them is
565
00:29:42.680 --> 00:29:43.000
to what.
566
00:29:43.039 --> 00:29:46.119
Sure whether you come to Red Penguin or not. And
567
00:29:46.160 --> 00:29:51.200
I would welcome you with open arms, but certainly don't
568
00:29:51.279 --> 00:29:54.480
be afraid do it if you if you want to
569
00:29:54.519 --> 00:29:55.240
do it, do it.
570
00:29:55.839 --> 00:29:58.759
One thing technology wise that works for a lot of
571
00:29:58.799 --> 00:29:59.519
our authors.
572
00:29:59.759 --> 00:30:02.559
I I admit myself as a book publisher, I am
573
00:30:02.599 --> 00:30:06.640
a terrible typist, terrible two fingers.
574
00:30:06.720 --> 00:30:08.720
I'm really yeah, I can't type it all.
575
00:30:09.279 --> 00:30:12.680
But the way a lot of people write books now,
576
00:30:12.720 --> 00:30:16.680
including myself, My whole last book was written via dictation.
577
00:30:17.880 --> 00:30:19.839
Your phone now will take dictation.
578
00:30:20.359 --> 00:30:22.880
You can talk to it and it'll show up the
579
00:30:22.920 --> 00:30:26.480
words right there on the screen. So I've been advising
580
00:30:26.599 --> 00:30:31.200
authors who would like to say their book out loud,
581
00:30:31.799 --> 00:30:34.720
go for a walk, just say it out loud. It's
582
00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:37.759
a great way instead of sitting there at a computer
583
00:30:37.880 --> 00:30:40.680
and typing. And as I said, my most recent book
584
00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:43.880
that just came out over the summer, i'd say at
585
00:30:43.960 --> 00:30:45.279
least ninety percent.
586
00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:46.200
Of that was dictated.
587
00:30:46.559 --> 00:30:50.200
That's just the way I work, better than sitting at
588
00:30:50.200 --> 00:30:52.759
a computer. So you would like to write a book
589
00:30:53.279 --> 00:30:56.880
to it. There are a million writers' groups. There are
590
00:30:56.920 --> 00:31:01.200
many that have sprung up online during COVID. You know,
591
00:31:01.279 --> 00:31:04.759
go to Facebook and look for writers groups, people who
592
00:31:04.839 --> 00:31:05.599
will support you.
593
00:31:05.880 --> 00:31:07.400
We have writers groups ourselves.
594
00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:10.720
I'd love to include you in ours, but don't shy
595
00:31:10.839 --> 00:31:11.519
away from it.
596
00:31:11.559 --> 00:31:13.200
If you want to do it, do.
597
00:31:13.240 --> 00:31:16.240
It whether or not it gets published. If you have
598
00:31:16.279 --> 00:31:20.480
a story in you, true fiction, whatever it might be,
599
00:31:20.960 --> 00:31:21.519
get it out.
600
00:31:21.960 --> 00:31:22.799
I'm all about it.
601
00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:26.920
So in terms of getting it out, let's conclude by
602
00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:28.759
letting people know how to get in touch with you
603
00:31:28.839 --> 00:31:30.599
and your work. I know you've got a couple of
604
00:31:30.640 --> 00:31:34.039
podcasts yourself, so tell us about what's the best way
605
00:31:34.119 --> 00:31:34.759
to contact you.
606
00:31:35.440 --> 00:31:38.440
Probably the best way is just run over to read
607
00:31:38.599 --> 00:31:43.799
Penguin Books dot com, Red Like the Color, Penguin Like
608
00:31:43.920 --> 00:31:48.680
the Bird, and Books dot com has links to all
609
00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:52.039
of our books, also all of all of our shows.
610
00:31:52.079 --> 00:31:55.720
We have a number of different podcasts. I also host
611
00:31:55.720 --> 00:31:59.000
a cable television show that goes out all over Long
612
00:31:59.039 --> 00:32:01.759
Island and New York City. Links to all of those
613
00:32:01.759 --> 00:32:04.359
things are at Redpenguin.
614
00:32:03.440 --> 00:32:04.599
Books dot com.
615
00:32:05.160 --> 00:32:08.880
You could also find us whether you're on Instagram or
616
00:32:08.920 --> 00:32:15.319
handle is Red Penguin Books, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok. We're at
617
00:32:15.359 --> 00:32:18.160
all of those places, but or if you just google
618
00:32:18.799 --> 00:32:22.480
Red Penguin Books, you are definitely going to find us somewhere.
619
00:32:23.000 --> 00:32:26.160
Stephanie Larkin, you can find us anyplace on the web,
620
00:32:26.599 --> 00:32:28.640
and please tell us that Ron sent you.
621
00:32:29.000 --> 00:32:31.559
Yes, Okay, very good.
622
00:32:31.640 --> 00:32:34.839
Okay, Well, there's always much more to talk about, many
623
00:32:34.839 --> 00:32:37.240
more stories, but we'll have to leave it there for today.
624
00:32:37.799 --> 00:32:41.000
But thanks for sharing your story and reminding us that
625
00:32:41.359 --> 00:32:45.559
reinvention is not only possible, but it's very powerful. So
626
00:32:45.839 --> 00:32:48.240
once again, folks, this has been Ron Rowell, a host
627
00:32:48.240 --> 00:32:51.319
of forty five Forward. If you want to know more
628
00:32:51.319 --> 00:32:54.400
about me, go to forty five Forward dot org and
629
00:32:54.440 --> 00:32:56.680
you can listen to all my podcasts and see them
630
00:32:56.720 --> 00:33:00.559
on there, and if you have suggestions or questions, uh,
631
00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:03.000
you know, send them to you know, Ron at forty
632
00:33:03.000 --> 00:33:07.680
five forward dot org. So in the meantime, folks, uh,
633
00:33:08.359 --> 00:33:13.519
as we all go forward to the next episode, look
634
00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:14.680
for forty five forward.
635
00:33:16.359 --> 00:33:17.039
Mm hmmmm