Send us a Text Message. Episode 229 / Learn about the four basic types of relationship arcs from freelance developmental editor and writing writing instructor, September Fawkes. Discover how mapping arcs can define the direction and evolution of your characters' relationships and create a dynamic, zigzag narrative. 💙 🎙 Become a supporter of the pod…

Episode 582. Steve Stierwalt joins us this week and we talk about the very beginning of KISS on the internet as Steve was there when it all started with his website KISS Freaks. Steve shares stories and insight into putting on the Indy KISS Expos. How much money does it take to put together and make a KISS expo happen? How did Steve’s online store …

Send us a Text Message. Episode 228 / Kemper Donovan is the host of the All About Agatha podcast and author of The Busy Body, a USA Today bestseller on launch earlier this year. Kemper shares tips for querying and how podcasting about Agatha Christie helped him connect with mystery authors and also provided a built-in audience for his book. 💙 🎙 Bec…

Episode 582. KISS join a very small and elite group of artists who have a song with over one billion streams on Spotify. I Was Made For Lovin’ You from the album Dynasty has been streamed over one billion times! Forget the haters, we won! Press requests please contact Michael Brandvold at www.michaelbrandvold.com Since launching in 2012 Three Sides…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 227 / Liz Long shares her journey of embracing her own uniqueness, particularly in relation to ADHD and finding peace and growth after personal loss. Quick note: the language in this episode isn’t as family-friendly as our usual G/PG episodes, so just be aware of that. 💙 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcast! Get acces…

Episode 581. We are joined by guitarist Jason Hook this week. Jason updates on his new band Flat Black, their new album will be released on July 19th. But… we talk all KISS with Jason, who is a HUGE KISS fan. Jason shares his feelings and thoughts on the end of KISS and the upcoming avatars. We also discuss our five favorite KISS albums and our two…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 226 / Author, musician, and marketer, Paul Indigo shares insights on seeking validation, embracing our voice, and the unconventional use of an Excel spreadsheet for writing and marketing. If you’ve tried all the writing software and haven’t found one that works for you, perhaps your answer is a spreadsheet! 💙 🎙 Becom…

Episode 580. Recently Peter Arquette announced he was shutting down his long running and respected KISS collectibles store KISS Museum. He sold the inventory to KISSArmyWarehouse.com and is retiring. Why now, why is he retiring. What is he going to do now. What about the future of KISS expos. Is he planning to do any expos in the future. Forget the…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 225 / Megan Vernon, author of over 40 romance novels, joins us to talk about starting over after a difficult experience of being publicly criticized. We talk about the need to give ourselves grace and the importance of a supportive community for navigating the ups and downs of a writing career. Megan shares about her…

Episode 579. One of the premier showmen in rock, Carmine Appice became known worldwide for his astonishing live performances, in addition to becoming a highly sought-after session drummer, recording with countless artists throughout his career. In ‘76, he joined Rod Stewart‘s band, touring, recording and writing two of Stewart‘s biggest hits, “Do Y…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 224 / Kate Johnson is the co-founder of Zory, an interactive reading app that merges the depth found in fiction with the choose-your-path-style plotlines of narrative video games. Kate shares details about Zory and craft tips about GMC as well as the All Is Lost moment. Plus we talk about trends in genre blending, an…

Episode 578. Another Mark fan boy episode this week! Guitarist Pat Travers sits down with us this week. Yes Pat does have some KISS stories to share, talks about Doc McGhee managing his career even lets us in on the one song he wishes he had recorded and why! Pat talks about working with Carmine Appice on the new Cactus album that is out now and sh…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 223 / Do you like to discover the plot as you write? Do you get bored if you know where the story is going? Then a skeleton draft might be what you need. Paranormal and gothic romance author Steffanie Holmes joins us to talk about how discovery writers can use a skeleton draft to get their ideas down on paper and avo…

Episode 577. We check out a radio station playlist from 1975, wow what a variety of great songs! This is what is called AM Gold. Forget the haters, we won! Press requests please contact Michael Brandvold at www.michaelbrandvold.com Since launching in 2012 Three Sides of the Coin has been viewed or listened to over 6,000,000 times. Three Sides of th…

Subscriber-only episode Send us a Text Message. Ever wondered how to add a twist of mystery to your narrative? Find out exactly what mystery elements are, how to sprinkle them into your narrative, and why they keep readers turning the pages. Whether you're writing romance, sci-fi, or fantasy, a mystery can add layers of intrigue and depth to your s…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 222 / Jessica Renwich, who writes fantasy and horror for kids ages 9-12, joined us to share her experience as an indie middle grade author. She has terrific insights on approaching schools for author visits and the impact of creating whimsical and fun content to appeal to young readers. In addition to discussing how …

Episode 576. This episode we track down Ace Frehley’s DeLorean that he made famous in the song Rock Soldiers. The DeLorean is fully restored and lives in Florida. Robert Gadocha from ClassicDMC.com is the owner and also a HUGE KISS fan. He says how he found the DeLorean and restoration that went into the vehicle. He shares the history of the car, i…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 221 / Looking to grow a community around your books? Romance author Amy Pine shares how she and her co-hosts created a podcast and built a vibrant community around Korean dramas. We also dive into craft book recommendations, beat sheets, and combining tropes in unexpected ways. 💜 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcast! …

Episode 575. In a recent interview Ace Frehley stated he talked his label out of releasing a live Ace Frehley album and instead talked them into doing a third Origins cover album. So our question to you… what would you rather have, a live Ace Frehley album or another album of cover songs? Read: https://guitar.com/news/music-news/ace-frehley-talked-…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 220 / KimBoo York joins us to share how to embrace flexibility and spontaneity in your writing process through discovery writing. Whether you thrive on outlining or prefer a more free-flowing approach, there are different techniques to suit your writing style. 💜 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcast! We can’t wait to g…

Episode 574. In this episode we take a look at some of things people are Googling about KISS. Is the band KISS… Is Gene Simmons… Why does the band KISS… We end up discussing what to expect from KISS in 2024 and why it will probably be a very quiet year for KISS. Forget the haters, we won! Press requests please contact Michael Brandvold at www.micha…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 219 / Martha Carr is a journalist who now writes escapist fiction in the urban fantasy genre with a lot of magic, some action and adventure, and a little romance. Martha shares about beating health challenges, changing her business model, and dealing with the ups and downs of publishing. We also talk about leaving re…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 218 / Julie Duffy has long been involved in the publishing industry, but she found herself not actually writing fiction due to the demands of school and work. This realization led her to challenge herself with a "story a day" project in order to get back to writing and creating fictional stories. Julia joins us to ta…

Episode 573. This week we go off track before even getting to our topic. But, we end up talking about Ace Frehley’s new set list for his solo shows and frankly how disappointing it is. We then move into Gene Simmons solo set list. Then we share our thoughts on the new Motley Crue single. And we end with a discussion about what we are listening to r…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 217 / Writing under two pen names, Celeste Barclay has penned over 50 books in historical and mafia romance. She shares insights on the writing process, the challenges of juggling multiple book brands, the importance of flexibility, and why universal themes resonate across genres. 💜 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcas…

Episode 572. Pat Fant joins us to discuss how he created the KISS Kasket and what happened to the Kasket. Pat also talks about his new documentary Runaway Radio about his time leading the radio station KLOL in Houston, TX. We talk about the state of radio and the changes that have occurred in radio. Visit https://rock101movie.com Forget the haters,…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 216 / Mystery author Abigail Keam shares how she embraced the digital landscape and incorporated direct sales into her business model. From historical accuracy to adapting to technology, she shares her lessons-learned. 💜 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcast! We can’t wait to give you a shoutout in a future episode. ht…

Episode 571. One email is the focus of this week’s episode, see below. Why does anyone care what someone else likes or doesn’t like? Why do you attack people with different views? Why would you think you are going to change the minds of anyone with a message like this? Forget the haters, we won! Press requests please contact Michael Brandvold at ww…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 215 / When it comes to your author business, a bargain sometimes costs money in the long run, but other times it pays to splurge instead of scrimp. Join us as we discuss tips for saving money as well as when we’re willing to pay more. 💜 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcast! We can’t wait to give you a shoutout in a fu…

Episode 570. Guests are Tim Kletti of Arch Allies, Michael Schneider of Hairball and Dave Moody of Hairball. Four friends sit down and talk about the magic of KISS. We also talk about Dave’s hair starting on fire when he was dressed up like Gene Simmons, the music industry and insight from 50 years of being a KISS fan. This is a great roundtable di…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 214 / How do you pull in readers who will love your books and push away those readers who won’t enjoy your book? Branding. Branding is more than colors, fonts, and covers. Join us for an in-depth discussion on how to determine your brand and carry it through in everything from your voice to ad copy to covers. And you…

Episode 569. Another long unopened box of KISS stuff today, what do we find? Some more “action figures”, a blow up KISS chair and a bunch of KISS VHS tapes… some original commercial tapes such as KISS Meets the Phantom and Animalize Live Uncensored and some white label promotional video tapes. We also find a 1994 book that is a directory to the int…

Subscriber-only episode Send us a Text Message. The sage. The rebel. The everyman. These are a few character archetypes that resonate with readers. We discuss fifteen character archetypes, their common characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, and their desires along with examples in popular culture. We also discuss the difference between an archetyp…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 213 / We’re sharing an interview Sara did with Matty Dalrymple on the Indy Author Podcast last year. Sara and Matty go deep on the topic of how to structure a series so that it works for your writing style and your genre. 💜 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcast! We can’t wait to give you a shoutout in a future episode.…

Episode 568. Mark asks an interesting question… how come Aerosmith and KISS have similar merchandise? Is Aerosmith copying KISS? No, the truth is both bands are with the same merchandise company, Bravado. We spend time talking about how merchandise companies will use the same merchandise ideas across many bands. Forget the haters, we won! Press req…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 212 / Claire Taylor, humor and mystery author and Enneagram expert, shares how authors can use the Enneagram to create a resilient approach to the often chaotic writer lifestyle. We also discuss Claire’s successful track record on Kickstarter, and she tells us what she wishes she knew about using the crowdfunding pla…

Episode 567. Before heading to court, Lisa joins us to review the new Glamlite KISS Makeup and wow, pretty impressive! After her quick review we do a Hit and Run show, you ask us the questions and we answer them. Forget the haters, we won! Press requests please contact Michael Brandvold at www.michaelbrandvold.com Since launching in 2012 Three Side…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 211 / How do you live your best life through your writing career? We talk with Joe Solari about how to achieve author goals and how various business models, including direct sales and subscriptions, play into reaching those goals. We also discuss Author Nation, the largest indie author conference, and tips on how to …

Episode 566. Uffda, $900 for the vinyl edition of the Creatures of the Night box set! What are they thinking? Were they even thinking? This new edition has EXACTLY the same content as the previous box set, but instead of CDs it comes on vinyl. And they think we are just going to open up our wallets and pay nearly $1000! Well we aren’t cracking open…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 210 / M.K. Williams writes suspenseful literary fiction and helps aspiring authors. M.K. shares how she writes and markets books across different genres, using Payhip for direct sales, the drawback of a surprise launch, and why delusion is sometimes a good thing. 🌀 Why M.K. has specific goals for each book Why M.K. r…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 209 / How do you get to the point that your readers “one-click” the buy button for your books? Join us as we chat with small town romance author Melanie Harlow. Melanie shares what she learned about giving readers what they want—and what that has to do with spaghetti versus cake. 🎂 Knowing how to market the book befo…

Episode 565. Mark Cicchini is not silent this week! He pulls out his notes and give us his review of the new Ace Frehley album 10,000 Volts. Michael adds a little and Tommy takes a nap. Forget the haters, we won! Press requests please contact Michael Brandvold at www.michaelbrandvold.com Since launching in 2012 Three Sides of the Coin has been view…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 208 / Want to write something a little bit different? How do you appeal to readers in one of the main genres, but also forge your own path? Margaret Lashley joins us to share how she created a subgenre of wacky, humor-filled mysteries that appeal to cozy readers as well as women’s fiction readers. How Margaret’s back…

Episode 564. Steve Brown and Joey Cassata join us to talk about the new Ace Frehley album 10,000 Volts. So much discussed about how this new album happened and who was involved. What were the two things Ace insisted be on the album? Were other cover tunes discussed? Who wrote the songs? Who played on the album? The album production and recording pr…

Send us a Text Message. Episode 207 / Do you want to create a loyal readership interested in you, not just your genre? Do you want to up the romantic tension in your books? Rom-com author Emma St. Clair shares tips on these topics, plus much more: The minefield of romance terms used to describe heat level and tone Weighing the cost of taking a brea…

Episode 563. This week is another trip into Michael’s garage to open a box of KISS stuff that has been in storage for decades… what do we find? This week it is a nice little goldmine as we find the original KISS Viewmaster reels, some unopened series one and two KISS trading cards and a full set of KISS Rockstics Puffy Stickers and a lot more! Can …

Send us a Text Message. Episode 206 / Leslye Penelope, author of fantasy and paranormal romance, joins us and shares how she builds rich story worlds. How the worldbuilding can connect to plot, character, theme, and conflict Using Payhip to sell signed paperbacks Leslye’s course on Worldbuilding How Leslye went from indie publishing to being a hybr…

Subscriber-only episode Send us a Text Message. How do you structure your novel so the middle is as page-turning as the beginning and the end? How do you write a strong heroine? What are content buckets and how can they help with your newsletter? We dive into these topics with the wonderful Ines Johnson, who joins us to answer your questions! Ines …

Episode 562. We are joined by Frank Novinec and Wayne Lozinak from Hatebreed, both a HUGE KISS fans. We try to dig into their minds and what do they as musicians think about avatars, holograms, tribute bands and backing tracks. Would they turn Hatebreed into avatars? Really amazing discussion where we learn what professional musicians think of all …

Send us a Text Message. Episode 205 / This episode is all about harnessing the power of direct connection with your readers. Matt Briel from Lulu discusses the value of direct sales as we move away from a distribution-first publishing model. Importance of owning customer data Why you should start building your direct audience even if you only have …