In the near future we’ll have all kinds of cool links to guests and books and stuff. This week, it’s an intro to the updated dual-host format. We love you.

Becoming A Household Name is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Monet was nearly blind when he painted his most iconic works. Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team. Joe Biden lost several presidential bids. Donald Trump filed bankruptcy.

No one who has achieved greatness ever did so without massive work, constant failure, and weighty self-doubt.

My guest on today’s episode is Barbara Rudlaff, a first-class artist, a gifted art teacher, and one of my parents.

You can find her work on Instagram and on her website. She teaches at Naropa University.

Wanna read my work?

Find it here. I write lots of fiction, mostly magic-laced (speculative). Luke and Lyle live at the center of my cornerstone series, The Luke In Time Mysteries.

Today, I want to discuss a kind of apostrophe I've heard referred to as The Solomon Principle.

If you're not familiar with apostrophe, it is a rhetorical device of addressing an imaginary audience.

The Solomon Principle is a form of apostrophe that arises from seeking wisdom above all else, and with this practice, you today, begin a dialogue with you fifty years from today. For my youngest listeners, you could even imagine yourself sixty or seventy years from today.

Your goal is to imagine who you will be near the end of your life, when the majority of your accomplishments are behind you, the lion's share of your failures and mistakes are overcome, and all you have left is to share what you've learned with anyone willing to listen.

At the same time, you--who you are today--must embody the role of keen listener, seeker of wisdom, humble student.

Something I find exciting about this practice is that by its very structure, it enables you to overcome the obstacles inherent in taking advice.

Becoming A Household Name is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

For those of you who enjoy written publications, this essay is housed on All Things Novel. Feel free to subscribe there and read most weeks something new and entertaining. I don’t touch on marketing much over there. It’s my art outlet.

If you want to support the Audiobook Omnibus. Here’s the link.

Becoming A Household Name is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

My guest on today’s episode is Gary Arndt. He’s the host of a daily podcast Everything Everywhere.

We talk about failing and how it moves you closer to success.

My guest on today’s episode is Steve Pieper. He’s the founder of AMMO. If you’ve always wanted to earn a living as a full-time author, Steve’s program is the best pathway I know of, and thousands of authors agree.

Is AMMO Write For You?

If you’re an author with a handful of books published (or you’ve published nonfiction and have one book with a great program to help clients), AMMO is unlike any other program on the market. You’re going to have to work the program to find success, and bestseller status likely won’t hit in weeks of joining the program, but for many authors, AMMO is the beginning of a lucrative career that puts books first. Learn more here.

Check Out David’s Books

The Surface’s End is where I started, and it’s a fun ride described thusly.

“Near the edge of Jonah Whitfield's small farming village lies the Deathlands – a strange desert in the middle of a lush, green landscape. It is strictly forbidden. Jonah often lingers at the border of the Deathlands out of curiosity, hunting wild game where no one else feels safe. When he follows a wounded deer into the desolate expanse, he stumbles upon a hatch to a futuristic underground society. After setting eyes on a beautiful girl whose only wish is to see the surface, Jonah is determined to free her from a prison made of comfort and lies. Will he rescue her, or will he find himself trapped mere miles away from the life he has taken for granted?”

This is a pivot within a pivot within a pivot. Same game, new strategy. Maybe I try too many things. Maybe I’m a cautionary tale. You decide. In the meantime, if you’d like a copy of The Luke In Time Mysteries Audio Omnibus, starting at just $1, grab one.

With Love,

Jody J. Sperling

Happy New Year, my friends. I hope this podcast has been the gift you needed this year, and if you’re in a gift-giving mood and want to reciprocate, grab a copy of The Luke In Time Mysteries Audio Omnibus, starting at just $1. You’ll be happy you did.

My guest on today’s episode is Angie Hanson. She’s the author of Chapters of A Resilient Heart. Her story of loss and resilience is inspiring, and the work she’s done to overcome profound loss is a lesson for all of us.

With Love,

Jody J. Sperling