- 1 day ago
CTP (S4EOctSpecial1) Ghostwriting Demystified and more
We talk with ghostwriter and editor Lana McAra about how ghostwriting really works, from screening clients to shaping raw ideas into publisher-ready pages. We also dig into AI’s limits, the ethics of disclosure, and why good writing still needs a human mind and a clean process.
• choosing ghostwriting when the story is clear but the writing is stuck
• screening clients, turning down bad fits, and protecting the final book
• NDAs, work-for-hire reality, and when acknowledgments build trust
• pricing by polished 250-word pages and what “publisher ready” includes
• co-creating through notes, drafts, interviews, transcripts, and approvals
• finding help through agencies like Author OneStop and professional profiles
• why native English and strong editing standards matter for US audiences
• AI for outlines and research, plus risks with laziness and low-quality ebooks
• copyright and liability concerns when AI pulls from protected text
• where to find Lana’s work and her author names, including Rosie Dow
SEND US FEEDBACK: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2210487/fan_mail/new
https://tinyurl.com/SubscribeToCTP
CTP Audios: https://tinyurl.com/CTPonBuzzsprout
CTP Videos: https://tinyurl.com/CTPonBITCHUTE
https://tinyurl.com/CTPgear
https://tinyurl.com/JLenardDetroitGear
AI images/videos/audio CTP uses: https://tinyurl.com/GalaxyMagicaAI
https://tinyurl.com/BookPromotionViaFiverr
- other services: https://fiverr.com/jlenarddetroit
We talk with ghostwriter and editor Lana McAra about how ghostwriting really works, from screening clients to shaping raw ideas into publisher-ready pages. We also dig into AI’s limits, the ethics of disclosure, and why good writing still needs a human mind and a clean process.
• choosing ghostwriting when the story is clear but the writing is stuck
• screening clients, turning down bad fits, and protecting the final book
• NDAs, work-for-hire reality, and when acknowledgments build trust
• pricing by polished 250-word pages and what “publisher ready” includes
• co-creating through notes, drafts, interviews, transcripts, and approvals
• finding help through agencies like Author OneStop and professional profiles
• why native English and strong editing standards matter for US audiences
• AI for outlines and research, plus risks with laziness and low-quality ebooks
• copyright and liability concerns when AI pulls from protected text
• where to find Lana’s work and her author names, including Rosie Dow
SEND US FEEDBACK: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2210487/fan_mail/new
https://tinyurl.com/SubscribeToCTP
CTP Audios: https://tinyurl.com/CTPonBuzzsprout
CTP Videos: https://tinyurl.com/CTPonBITCHUTE
https://tinyurl.com/CTPgear
https://tinyurl.com/JLenardDetroitGear
AI images/videos/audio CTP uses: https://tinyurl.com/GalaxyMagicaAI
https://tinyurl.com/BookPromotionViaFiverr
- other services: https://fiverr.com/jlenarddetroit
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Hello, welcome to another episode of Perstitutionalist Podcast.
00:06I am your host, Joseph M. Leonard.
00:09That's L-E-N-A-R-D.
00:12It looks French.
00:13It's not.
00:14It's Leonard without an O.
00:17Thank you for tuning in, as Graham Norton used to say, on his show.
00:24Let's get on with the show!
00:26Warning, this episode contains some audio and or video glitches.
00:35It is not your equipment.
00:37Joining me today is Lana Makara, and we're going to talk about ghostwriting.
00:45So the obvious first question is, how long has your head been haunted?
00:51Ba-dum-bum!
00:54Good night, folks!
00:55That's it.
00:56That's the only reason I brought her on was to tell that lame joke.
01:04But seriously, welcome to the show, Lana.
01:08Thank you so much, Joseph.
01:10It's a pleasure to be with you.
01:11Yeah, as an author myself, I have often thought about ghostwriting.
01:17We'll get into some other questions I'll set up later.
01:23But first, where were you born and raised, and where are you now?
01:28Significant places you've been between, that sort of thing.
01:31Okay, yes.
01:33I was born in Delaware.
01:36Are you Delaware?
01:42I'm Della stupid.
01:45I'm Della unaware.
01:49Anyway, my OCD brain just did the stupid jokes.
01:55I got to go there.
01:56Go ahead.
01:59Yes, I lived in Delaware until I went to college, and then I got married, and I lived in the
02:08Caribbean on the island of Grenada for 14 years.
02:12Oh, were you there for the invasion?
02:14We were there just after.
02:17We came in just after, yeah.
02:19Interesting.
02:20Yeah.
02:21So that was an interesting place you'd been to between then, and where are you now?
02:27Yes, I'm in Florida, northern Florida, up near Jacksonville.
02:31Oh, yeah.
02:32I used to work for Kmart headquarters.
02:35We had a warehouse in Ocala.
02:38I would go down there to help with the computers on.
02:42I love those little lizards running around.
02:45I just love those.
02:46I hate the stupid palmento bugs further south, but love them little lizards in northern Florida.
02:55Yeah, yeah.
02:57I actually live two hours north of Ocala.
03:01Yeah, I've been through there when I was in Ocala, so.
03:07But ghostwriting, I've often thought, I'll start with me.
03:17I've often thought of some stories, and I've literally got them outlined, but yet I don't
03:28feel quite able to write them, and that's where a ghostwriter would come in, yes?
03:35Yes, exactly.
03:37Yes.
03:38And how long have you been doing this?
03:42I started in 2012.
03:44I went full-time in 2015, so I've been full-time as a ghostwriter for 11 years now.
03:51So you've been locked away full-time for what crime?
03:55Yeah, it's a joke.
03:57She's laughing.
03:58For the benefit of the transcript and the audio, she's laughing.
04:02These are dumb jokes.
04:04You know I can't ask the stupid jokes.
04:10A serious question with another kind of quasi-spin wordplay joke involved.
04:16Have you ever turned down a project?
04:20Because how are you always able to find a way to get in the spirit, ghostwriting spirit, of
04:32what an author's going for with their story?
04:37Or indeed, like me, are there just certain things that's like, oh, I like the idea, but I don't
04:45know that I can do justice to that story.
04:50Oh, yes.
04:51I always have an opening conversation and see if we can communicate, if I can understand what they're
04:59looking for, and that kind of thing.
05:02Yes, I have turned people down.
05:05That makes sense.
05:06I highly respect that answer.
05:10I'd be a little concerned if you said no, because I have no doubt there are some out there who
05:16will just fudge it and force it and whatever, as long as they collect their check.
05:23And I'm certainly glad to hear you're not like that.
05:30Are there any, well, part of the whole point of ghostwriting is that the person doesn't, either
05:40you or they don't want to give away who may have written part or all of the book.
05:46Are there any big projects that you can name that you've been part of?
05:53Or are those all NDAs, non-disclosures, hush, hush, quiet, quiet?
06:01There are many that I can't disclose.
06:06I've ghostwritten 22 books up to now.
06:10But there is one.
06:11It's called The Red Pill Executive that I did.
06:14And the reason I can tell you that is because they put me in the acknowledgements and said,
06:21Lana's our ghostwriter right there in the book.
06:25So, yeah, I'm happy to.
06:27Oh, that's good.
06:28I'd often thought that if indeed one of the stories I have in mind I'd like to put out,
06:35that I've got the story outlined, it'd still be my story.
06:40Someone else would help write it.
06:42But have you entertained or has anybody asked, would you be interested in being a co-author
06:50or like, what's his face, Bill O'Reilly always, Bill O'Reilly, the killings, killing so-and-so
07:00with James Dugard, right?
07:03I think James Dugard actually writes all the books.
07:07O'Reilly just helps peddle them.
07:09But have you had any thought of that happening?
07:15People ask me that sometimes.
07:16But my response is that I need to earn a living.
07:21Since ghostwriting is my full-time job, I can't work for nothing.
07:25I have to earn a living.
07:28So, you know, all the best on your project if you need someone to co-author.
07:33But I've written and ghostwritten 50 published titles.
07:37I don't need my name in print.
07:40It's already in print.
07:41I'm already a best-selling author.
07:43I'm already an award-winning author.
07:44So, I need to earn a living.
07:47And that's the bottom line, literally.
07:52I would still think even ghostwriting, if I were paying someone,
07:58I'd want to at least acknowledge them as that one person did for you.
08:04To me, that's just being honest.
08:09I don't mean to say ghostwriting is dishonest.
08:13You know what I mean?
08:15I sure do.
08:17Having full disclosure, being transparent, that does say something for the author's credibility
08:24if they put that into the acknowledgments.
08:27But, of course, you know, it's work for hire.
08:31And, therefore, I have no skin in the game.
08:33If they don't want to acknowledge me, that's all right.
08:36I just take the check to the bank.
08:38And we, you know, we're both happy.
08:41Yeah.
08:41Do you usually write per page or would that be kind of unethical because some then might
08:49try to pad to collect a bigger check or is it a flat fee?
08:55How do you structure that?
08:57How do you work that?
08:58It depends on the book.
08:59I have a flat rate.
09:01I say we because there's an agency that sends me a lot of clients, but I do take private
09:06clients as well.
09:08Yes, it's based on a 250-word page.
09:13If you have 250 words per page, then 100 pages is a certain amount.
09:19And so we do it on that basis.
09:23But this is finished, polished, publisher-ready pages.
09:29Not draft or anything like that.
09:33And the author and I go back and forth with this material and we are basically co-creating
09:41it using the author's material, their ideas, their approval, and my expertise as a writer.
09:49I'm working with them.
09:51And that's why it's so important for me to screen the people that I work with because
09:56we have to communicate.
09:57We have to be on the same page.
09:59And so there are certain topics...
10:02No pun intended on the same page.
10:04On the same page, yeah.
10:07Yeah.
10:08There are certain topics I love writing about.
10:10There are other topics that I don't enjoy so much.
10:12I did an editing job on blockchain one time.
10:18And when I got done with blockchain, I basically told the agency, you know, stick a needle in
10:24my eye.
10:26Blockchain is not my topic.
10:27Don't want to do that anymore.
10:29Yeah.
10:30So do you have like a profile on Fiverr and Uproar and...
10:37Or I mean Upworks, not Uproar.
10:40Upworks.
10:41You mentioned an agency.
10:43Do you want to mention them?
10:45Sure, sure.
10:46I have a profile on LinkedIn.
10:49Oh, okay.
10:50Yeah, that makes sense.
10:51Yeah.
10:51I mean, most people do.
10:56If I were looking for a ghost offer, my first thought would be Upworks or Fiverr.
11:05But then again, there's a whole lot of foreign people on that.
11:10And that can be well and good.
11:13That can be fine.
11:14But the issue is, like I go into in my how to write a book and get it published, hints,
11:21tips, and techniques for people thinking about writing their own book.
11:26Take them from concept to scene editing and character development and publication options
11:36and what to do after you publish because you're not done.
11:40You've got to do stuff like this.
11:41You've got to promote things, what to expect out of reviews and that.
11:46But I go into there, if you're writing a U.S.-based story, you want someone whose primary language
12:00is English.
12:02Absolutely.
12:03Wow.
12:04Is that ever important?
12:06And the same goes for editing.
12:09You can outsource editing cheap, but as the old saying, sometimes you get what you pay for,
12:17right?
12:17If English is really their third language, how versed in AP Chicago and Oxford style guides
12:27are they really?
12:29That is so true.
12:30I would never work with someone who is not a native English speaker.
12:35In that case, for sure, yes.
12:38Are you working on a project now?
12:41I am working on two deep editing jobs now.
12:47I'm also an editor.
12:49I bring books up to commercial publication standards.
12:54And I also am a book coach.
12:57So right now, I don't have a ghostwriting client per se,
13:03but I am working on several manuscripts in other ways.
13:10Uh-huh.
13:11Uh-huh.
13:12What are your thoughts on the invasion of AI into the space?
13:21Wow.
13:22That's a loaded question.
13:24Yeah.
13:25The good, the bad, and the ugly, right?
13:28I'm a former IT guy.
13:30So, you know, I've seen the AI coming from miles away.
13:36There's good, there's bad, there's ugly.
13:39And I'm sure you can think of all three also.
13:42Oh, yeah, absolutely.
13:44And in this world where we are in 2026 today,
13:49AI is not capable at this point of producing a really great book.
13:57AI is better used to find information,
14:02condense down material outlines, and things like that, rather than...
14:09Yeah, there are things it's good at, and things...
14:13But what worries me is, like, all the kids using it for thesis papers,
14:18and they're turning them in, and they don't know what's in them
14:20because they're not even bothering to read what's in their supposed work
14:25they're turning in.
14:27It's really sad.
14:29The lazy factor.
14:30Factor.
14:32Right.
14:33Yes, that's my concern, is young people not learning the basics
14:38that they need to know, and so heavily relying on technology
14:45rather than learning, using their own mind.
14:49Yeah.
14:50I forgot.
14:51I had a question come in my mind, and now I...
14:55Oh, I think I've had on...
14:58I think it was Alison McBean out of Canada.
15:02I could be getting it wrong in my head,
15:05but I've had an author on that did an experiment
15:09where she did a writing challenge.
15:14She challenged herself to write a story about whatever from scratch
15:21in a month and what AI would come up with,
15:26and she did that for several books in a row
15:30so that you could tell,
15:32well, AI is good at mimicking some things of humanity
15:38and other things it just can't grasp,
15:42and there's holes in those stories because of it.
15:46And it just lacks that real human element, yes?
15:53Yes, yes.
15:54And my daughter loves e-books off of Amazon,
15:58and she tells me that sometimes she'll buy an e-book off of Amazon
16:02and immediately say, hey, I wrote this.
16:05This is not a human being, and it's no good.
16:08It's trash.
16:10Not worth reading.
16:11Yeah.
16:12Yeah.
16:12I fear that.
16:14I fear that a lot.
16:15And, again, that goes back to I use Suno AI to record music now
16:23because I no longer have my musical instruments.
16:25I used to write and record music the old way, you know,
16:29get out a piece of sheet music and actually write the notes,
16:32write the lyrics, write the tone, write the inflections,
16:37write the chords, and then record it.
16:39But all that equipment's sold off now,
16:42so I'm having fun using Suno AI music system,
16:47and I think it's pretty good as long as you're not, again,
16:53just completely relying on it to, hey, I got an idea.
16:58Write me a love song.
17:01Well, and people are doing that and trying to claim it's their song
17:08and that, or their AI, it's their book because, and it's not.
17:14It's like the, and I bring up music because the Rush band,
17:19not Limbaugh, the radio guy, Rush, the Canadian rock group,
17:23in their song, all this machinery making modern music is really,
17:31well, not so foolish hearted.
17:33It's really just a question of your honesty,
17:36and that's the thing.
17:38If you're disclosing AI helped with this is one thing,
17:44but to pawn off something as your own entirely is a whole other issue.
17:52Yeah, your thoughts?
17:54Oh, yes, and AI-produced material is not defendable with copyright.
18:02So you can't copyright it and claim it because you didn't make it,
18:08and that is really important for authors to know
18:12that it's better to do your own work.
18:15Yeah, that's the first, one of the most, first,
18:19a couple of years ago I wrote a piece on that AI and copyright law,
18:24and indeed, unfortunately, the laws never keep up with the technology.
18:28So a lot of it is semi-untested, and indeed,
18:33so the terms of service are saying, well, it's your idea,
18:39you put it in, you own it, but, again, you're on the hook, though.
18:46If AI model, like, for instance, quotes something out of my book
18:52without proper accreditation, and you put it in your book,
18:56and it's clearly lifted from my book or lifted from one of your books,
19:01guess who's on the hook for the copyright violation,
19:05not the AI company.
19:08Right, right, and we're seeing lawsuits coming out all the time
19:12that are related to this type of thing,
19:14so really important to be aware and cautious
19:18about what you're doing with AI.
19:22Mm-hmm.
19:23Yeah, like I say, as a former IT guy
19:26and as someone involved in politics a lot,
19:29all the time, my whole life,
19:31the laws are always decades behind.
19:35They're reactive.
19:39Because a lot of them,
19:40the politicians are career politicians,
19:43and they don't know anything about the real world, really,
19:47so they can't write laws on it
19:51because they don't know.
19:53Right, right.
19:55And they won't come to people like us and ask.
20:02Okay, at any rate,
20:05I'm not sure where I want to go with this next,
20:09so let me just ask a broad, open-ended,
20:13and when I say broad, I mean wide breadth.
20:17I don't mean them.
20:18I'm not making a sexist comment here
20:21because of the female guest.
20:24Right, but just open it up for,
20:29if I were to ask a question,
20:32what question would you want to answer at this point?
20:36How about that?
20:37Can we run with that?
20:39Yeah, yeah, that'd be fine.
20:42What I would recommend is talking about
20:45how the ghostwriting process actually works.
20:49Yeah, let's go there.
20:51Go ahead.
20:51Well, it goes in different ways
20:55depending on the client.
20:56Sometimes a client will bring me a manuscript
20:58that's been already done,
21:01and I had a 250-page single-spaced manuscript
21:06that was brought to me one time.
21:11Uh-oh, you froze.
21:14A stall, stalling, stalling.
21:19Oh, I may have to edit that section out
21:23because you froze.
21:24They sent you a 250-page manuscript,
21:27and what happened with it?
21:28The man was stuck.
21:30He got it so far,
21:31and he couldn't go any further.
21:32And so, what I realized was that
21:36one of his chapters,
21:38I think it was like chapter seven,
21:40encapsulated his entire book.
21:42And I said, well, it looks disjointed,
21:44but let's take chapter seven
21:47as our table of contents,
21:49and we're just going to plug in
21:51these other chapters
21:52and make it into this cohesive progression.
21:57And that's what we did,
21:58and he ended up with a fabulous, fabulous book.
22:01So, that's one way
22:03where somebody's worked hard
22:04and they've got a lot of material.
22:07I also had someone come to me,
22:09and I said, well, just bring me some notes.
22:12And they said, we don't have any notes.
22:15It was a husband and wife team.
22:17We don't have any notes.
22:18I said, well, you teach this.
22:20You can't read minds, right?
22:25I said, well, you teach this
22:26for corporations.
22:28This is something you do
22:29for corporate training.
22:30So, bring me your course materials.
22:33They said, we don't have
22:34any course materials.
22:35We just get up there and wing it.
22:39And I was flabbergasted.
22:42They were making five figures
22:44teaching corporations with no notes.
22:47And so, what we did was
22:49we interviewed,
22:50and every chapter was an interview,
22:52and they would talk to me,
22:53and I would take the recording
22:54and the transcript,
22:55and we worked our way
22:57through the book
22:58all the way through,
22:59and it came out fine.
23:01But you just have to meet people
23:03where they are.
23:04They may have a lot.
23:05They may have nothing.
23:07And we just work with it.
23:09Oh, you know what?
23:11I asked.
23:12I don't know that we ever
23:13got that answer.
23:15The agency you go through,
23:16did we ever finish that thought?
23:19My OCD brain probably
23:21took it somewhere else?
23:23Yes, we did not get there.
23:26It's called Author One Stop.
23:29Oh, okay.
23:30You know what?
23:31That rings a familiar bell.
23:34I think I've heard of it,
23:36or I've come across it.
23:38Randy Pizer.
23:39Her name is well-known
23:41in writing circles.
23:43She owns a company
23:44called Author One Stop.
23:46So if you go to
23:47authoronestop.com,
23:48you'll see her website.
23:50And I've been working
23:51with Randy since 2012,
23:54so 14 years,
23:56almost 15 years.
23:58And we have a wonderful
24:00working relationship.
24:01She brings me clients
24:02in a lot of varied capacities.
24:07Well, you had mentioned
24:08at the top
24:09you'd already been successful
24:11as your own author.
24:13The books are under
24:15your name,
24:16Lana Makara?
24:18Under that?
24:19Or Anamda Plume?
24:21There's another name
24:22that my books are under
24:23as well,
24:24called Rosie Dow,
24:25D-O-W.
24:26Okay,
24:27as in the Dow Jones
24:29Industrial.
24:30Yeah.
24:31Rosie Dow,
24:32D-O-W,
24:33on Amazon.
24:34You'll see a lot of books,
24:3635 or so books
24:38on Amazon.
24:38Now you had said
24:40you'd achieve
24:41best-selling author status.
24:43What's a couple
24:44of your books
24:44that you're most...
24:46I know it's like asking
24:48what kid is your favorite kid,
24:50but, you know,
24:52what are maybe
24:53one or two
24:54of your most favorite books
24:55that you've done
24:56you're most proud of?
24:57Lana Makara.
24:59Uh-oh.
24:59Yeah,
25:00I got it spelled right
25:01for a second.
25:02I thought I might have
25:03had your name spelled wrong.
25:04I can't read the title,
25:06though.
25:06The Screen's Too Small.
25:08For the record,
25:09she's holding up a book,
25:11and the title to that
25:12with the woman
25:12on the cover is...
25:14Tara's Dilemma.
25:16Tara's Dilemma.
25:18B-A-R-A.
25:19Tara's Dilemma.
25:21Kind of like Tara Reid.
25:23Yes.
25:24Yeah.
25:25And that's a...
25:25Is that a romance novel?
25:28It almost has a romance-y
25:29novel kind of cover.
25:31It's my first book,
25:32and it is set
25:33in the Old West,
25:35Frontier Days,
25:35It's a Romance
25:37with a Mystery.
25:38There's a murder mystery
25:39in it.
25:40Oh, interesting.
25:42And that one sold
25:43250,000 copies.
25:45Cool.
25:46Cool.
25:47It's still available
25:48on Amazon?
25:49Yes, it is.
25:51Yes.
25:51Okay.
25:52And as you said,
25:54people can find you
25:55on Amazon,
25:56and time has flown by
25:58as it often does
25:59with people.
26:01Do you indeed...
26:03you mentioned
26:03author
26:04onestop.com,
26:06but that's not
26:07your site.
26:08Do you yourself
26:10have a site?
26:11Yes.
26:12Lana
26:12McHara
26:13dot com.
26:16Gee,
26:16I would have
26:17never guessed
26:17that one.
26:23Why would I hire
26:25you as a ghostwriter
26:26with that website?
26:27It's so unimaginative.
26:32We're laughing,
26:33people,
26:34for the benefit
26:35of the transcript.
26:36We're laughing.
26:37These are jokes.
26:38These are jokes.
26:40Okay.
26:40So, indeed,
26:42thank you,
26:42Lana McHara,
26:43for coming on
26:44to discuss ghostwriting.
26:46And who knows,
26:48maybe sometime
26:48around the corner,
26:50I might be in touch,
26:52because, indeed,
26:53I've really got
26:54this one story
26:55that's been
26:59illuminating
27:00in my brain,
27:02washing around
27:02up there
27:03for two and a half
27:04decades.
27:05I've got it
27:06outlined,
27:07but it's
27:09just not
27:10something I,
27:11even though
27:11I have a whole,
27:13my fifth
27:14in my Life
27:14and Living
27:15series of books,
27:16it would fit
27:17in the Life
27:18and Living
27:19series,
27:20I just don't
27:21feel adequate
27:22enough to be
27:23able to write.
27:24I could write
27:24parts of it,
27:25and that's
27:27where I would
27:27not be like
27:29that one,
27:30oh, here's
27:31a whole manuscript.
27:32I'd come
27:33with the notes
27:34and maybe
27:35partial chapters
27:36that I might
27:37write,
27:37and say,
27:38you fixed
27:39this,
27:40it's broken.
27:44That's usually
27:45what happens.
27:46Most of the time,
27:47people have
27:47something they
27:48started,
27:49and then I
27:50can take it
27:50and make it
27:51professional
27:52and bring it
27:53all together
27:53and make it
27:54make sense,
27:55and that's
27:56my skill set.
27:57I say to
27:58people,
27:59don't worry
27:59about hiring
28:00help to get
28:01writing done.
28:01You hire a
28:02plumber when
28:03your plumbing's
28:04broken,
28:04why can't you
28:05hire somebody
28:05to fix your
28:06book?
28:06Exactly,
28:08and I
28:10very stupidly
28:12and awkwardly
28:13almost implied
28:14at the beginning
28:15that ghostwriting
28:17was dishonest,
28:19and I don't
28:21want to say
28:22that because
28:22it's been
28:24done for,
28:25I mean,
28:25look at
28:26Shakespeare,
28:27the debate
28:29over whether
28:30he's even
28:31a real person
28:33or if it
28:33was several
28:34people that
28:35he claimed
28:35credit for,
28:36if it's
28:36even one
28:37person or
28:38if one or
28:39two people
28:40used his
28:41as a
28:42nom de plume
28:43or not,
28:43so it's
28:44been a thing
28:45forever.
28:45the bottom
28:46line is,
28:48do you
28:49like the
28:50story or
28:51not?
28:51Do you
28:52get the
28:53story?
28:54Like,
28:54in my
28:55how to
28:55write a
28:56book I
28:56go into
28:56in reviews,
28:57nothing upsets
28:59me more
29:00than someone
29:01saying,
29:02well,
29:03they,
29:03you know,
29:03they didn't
29:04like the way
29:05this flowed
29:06or that
29:06floated.
29:09Don't be
29:09a grammar
29:10Nazi.
29:10Did you
29:11understand
29:12the damn
29:13story?
29:14Do you
29:15get the
29:16story?
29:16And I've
29:17got a
29:18show,
29:18a whole
29:19show,
29:19I am
29:20not
29:20Shakespeare.
29:21Why would
29:22I like,
29:22why would
29:23I write
29:24like Shakespeare?
29:25I'm not
29:26living the
29:26Renaissance era,
29:28nor am I
29:28writing the
29:30Renaissance era.
29:31So let me
29:32close on my
29:32Shakespeare joke
29:33though.
29:34To be or
29:35not to be
29:36is truly
29:37the question
29:38because if
29:39it's to
29:39be,
29:40I got
29:41bingo.
29:46For the
29:47record,
29:48she's laughing.
29:50It's a kind
29:51of a cringe
29:51laugh as
29:52is appropriate
29:53for that
29:55joke,
29:55but that's
29:56a Joe
29:56original joke.
29:57It's even
29:57in my
29:58Terror Strikes
29:59book because
30:00you know,
30:00even a book
30:01on terrorism,
30:02I got a
30:02comic relief
30:03chapter because
30:04things are
30:05so serious.
30:07I'll ask
30:08one more
30:08question.
30:10The importance
30:11of humor.
30:12Do you
30:12find a way
30:13to work
30:14some humor
30:15into everything
30:16you do
30:16because things
30:17indeed are
30:18so serious.
30:20We need
30:21to lighten
30:21up some
30:22of these
30:22prudes.
30:24Oh,
30:25absolutely.
30:26Absolutely.
30:26I'm always
30:27on the alert
30:28for a way
30:29to bring a
30:29smile,
30:30an irony,
30:31or something
30:32to lighten
30:34it up.
30:34We can't
30:34be too
30:35heavy.
30:35Life is
30:36too short.
30:37Amen.
30:38I hear you
30:39on that.
30:39Absolutely.
30:40There's so
30:41much serious
30:42stuff going
30:42on in the
30:43world.
30:44You've got
30:45to find
30:45the silver
30:47lining humor
30:48there,
30:49or like
30:50the,
30:50since I
30:51mentioned
30:51music before,
30:53you know
30:53the group
30:56Cyphers Hill,
30:57the song,
30:58insane in the
30:59membrane,
31:00right?
31:01If we
31:01don't keep
31:02us such
31:02a humor,
31:03we'll go
31:03insane in
31:04the membrane.
31:05So,
31:06thank you,
31:06Lana
31:07Macara.
31:08I am
31:08actually
31:08going to
31:09wrap it
31:09up this
31:10time because
31:11now we're
31:11running a
31:12little over
31:13my normal
31:13time that
31:14I like to
31:15a lot.
31:16And,
31:17again,
31:17you can be
31:18found,
31:18Lana
31:18Macara,
31:19that's
31:20L-A-N-A-M-C-A-R-A
31:23dot com.
31:25Appreciate you
31:26stopping by.
32:27They're
32:28adventures of
32:28Detective Idol.
32:30I remember it
32:31like it was
32:31only yesterday.
32:33There I was
32:34reading the
32:34latest Dick
32:35Tracy magazine
32:36when she came
32:37in.
32:38It was the
32:38case of the
32:39eyes without
32:40a face.
32:41She was
32:42gorgeous.
32:43A blonde
32:44with big
32:44baby blue
32:45eyes.
32:45She had me
32:46hypnotized.
32:47And I knew
32:48I was going
32:48to break
32:49the golden
32:49rule.
32:50Don't get
32:50involved
32:51emotionally
32:51with a
32:52client or
32:53you'll get
32:53burned.
32:54Anyway,
32:55she saw her
32:56husband get
32:57snuffed.
32:58The police
32:58were getting
32:59nowhere.
33:00The only
33:01thing she
33:01could remember
33:02about her
33:02husband's
33:02killer was
33:03his
33:03mysterious
33:04eyes.
33:05Eyes
33:06without a
33:06face.
33:08Interesting
33:08concept.
33:10She produced
33:11a sealed
33:12envelope taken
33:13from her
33:13husband's
33:14safe,
33:14captivated
33:15by her.
33:16I never
33:17stopped to
33:17think why
33:18the police
33:18didn't have
33:19it or why
33:20the envelope
33:20was still
33:21sealed in
33:21short.
33:22The letter
33:23inside told
33:24me that
33:24someone was
33:25after him
33:26and he hid
33:27whatever it
33:27was they
33:28were after
33:28him for.
33:29But nothing
33:30about who
33:30they were
33:31or what
33:31it was.
33:33They were
33:34after him
33:34for.
33:36About a
33:36month passed
33:37following her
33:38husband's
33:38trail of
33:39broken clues
33:40and I had
33:40fallen deeply
33:41in love with
33:42this seemingly
33:43ungrieved
33:43widow.
33:45A plus for
33:45me if I was
33:46to win her
33:46heart.
33:47I was just
33:48about out
33:48of hope when
33:49she called.
33:50I was close.
33:50I could feel
33:51it.
33:52But something
33:53wasn't right.
33:53I was stumped.
33:55I went over.
33:56And they
33:56were waiting
33:57for me.
33:57Three goons
33:58as big as
33:59mountains.
33:59When I came
34:00to she was
34:01standing over
34:02me I realized
34:03that I'd
34:04been teased
34:05and deceived.
34:06I felt sad
34:08and mad for
34:08loving what
34:09was her but
34:10I was so
34:10taken in by
34:11her that I
34:12failed to
34:12realize that
34:13she was the
34:14one who killed
34:15her husband
34:15over a drug
34:16deal.
34:17I studied
34:18the room as
34:18she thanked
34:19me for leading
34:20them to the
34:20missing coke.
34:21There was
34:22only one goon
34:23with her.
34:24I took a
34:25page out of
34:25Tracy's book
34:26and gambled.
34:27I quickly
34:28knocked the
34:28gun from
34:29her hand
34:29and pulled
34:30the hidden
34:30derringer
34:31from my
34:31boot
34:32shot the
34:32goon
34:33coming at
34:33me.
34:34She went
34:35for her
34:35gun.
34:36I yelled
34:36don't.
34:37She did.
34:38I fired.
34:39The police
34:40rounded up
34:41the rest of
34:42the gang
34:42within the
34:43day.
34:43It's been a
34:43year now.
34:44But even
34:45so,
34:46all can do
34:47is love
34:47what I
34:47thought was
34:48her.
34:49Interesting
34:50how,
34:50even now.
34:52Her eyes
34:53still haunt
34:54me.
34:54Her eyes!
34:55eyes without
34:57a face.
34:59Interesting
35:00concept.
35:22Kennedy stared at the ceiling, coffee gone cold in her hand.
35:29All these Tuesdays bleeding together, like cheap ink on the back of her plans.
35:36She said,
35:37I thought there'd be thunder, some sign when my moment began.
35:43But the mail still comes, and the dishes still dry, and the clock just ticks where it stands.
35:50Are we just mediocre days, with a few bright minutes stitched inside, laughing in a car park in the rain,
36:01then back to traffic lights and tired eyes.
36:05If every breath is meant to me, more than a box to tick, a line to sign.
36:12Teach me how to see the sacred, in the middle, of an ordinary life.
36:25She watched a kid chase a pigeon, trip, then burst into grins.
36:33Mother's hands trembling slightly, like she'd almost lost the whole world again.
36:39She thought, maybe this is the movie, not the part where the credits roll by.
36:46Just two plastic bags in a grocery cart, and a quiet thank you at the end of the line.
36:54Are we just mediocre days, with a few bright minutes stitched inside, burned toast bills and broken plates, then one
37:04small hand reaching for mine.
37:07If every breath is meant to me, more than a box to tick, a line to sign, teach me how
37:16to see the sacred, in the middle, of an ordinary life.
37:38Maybe the point was the waiting, the slow burn, the stop and go ride.
37:46The jokes that fall flat, the nights coming back, just to sit on the edge of the sky.
37:55Are we just mediocre days, with a few bright minutes stitched inside?
38:01Or are there cracks in everything, where that quiet, holy light arrives?
38:09If every breath is meant to me, more than a box to tick, a line to sign,
38:16Then every small, forgettable moment, was the story, the whole time.
38:35Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
38:46oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
38:49oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
38:49oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
38:49oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
38:50oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
39:09The Book of Kennedy
39:12Project Carpe Diem
39:15Back of the book says it all
39:19Kennedy
39:21realized that indeed all life had value and meaning
39:24but indeed as Stu's life movie
39:26also tried to make clear
39:29Was life just indeed a collection of mediocre days
39:32with some random happy times?
39:34Was life irreparable and tainted with misspent youth
39:38bad reputation children might have had?
39:41Or redeemable with age and wisdom acquired?
39:46What then was the sum of that life
39:48if like the Egyptians believed at time of weighing by Osiris
39:51and Anubis could be lighter than a feather?
39:55In order to pass into the afterlife
39:57or too tainted and weighed down by those earlier transgressions?
40:03Dwelling on the mundane
40:05Or even clearly happens from time to time
40:08bad or negative days?
40:10Or those good times in the math of life so to speak
40:14where good deeds and good days
40:18Perhaps worth a larger value in the overall equation
40:21getting to that balance
40:22Sheet
40:23Some
40:24Total
40:26The day to day
40:27The day to day
40:28A butterfly effect
40:29The small smiles shown to another that made their day better
40:33Perhaps maybe even saved a life whose life then went on to produce another
40:38Through a child
40:40Who then goes on to cure cancer
40:43What role then did that small seemingly insignificant smile?
40:48On that day
40:49Likely long forgotten by all parties involved in the smile transactions
40:55As it seemed at the time play
40:57In that role of another one day curing cancer
41:00How many points might that tender toward afterlife admittance?
41:06And what score does one have to achieve?
41:11Note from the author
41:15I want to state as a warning
41:17This book contains not one line of dialogue
41:20I feel it important to say that
41:22Because
41:23A reviewer of my terror strikes
41:27Coming soon to a city near you
41:31Novel once wrote
41:32That she didn't think there was enough dialogue in it
41:36Well in all interviews I'd ever given regarding that book
41:39I never promised it to be a dialogue laden book
41:43In fact that while having some dialogue it is heavy narrative style
41:48As this book is entirely narration style
41:52Versus
41:53Plato's dialogues
41:55Philip Roth's deception
41:58Steinbeck's
41:59The Grapes of Wrath
42:01Which known for extensive use of dialogue courtesy
42:05Of asking Google
42:07For that answer
42:12In the book of Kennedy
42:14Project Carpe Diem
42:16A young woman stands alone at sunrise by the ocean
42:20Her hair moves with the wind
42:22Faint superimposed text
42:25Was life just a collection of mediocre days
42:29With a few random happy times?
42:32Flashbacks
42:33A girl laughing as a child
42:35Then crying as a teenager
42:37Pondering about her future
42:40Lighting shifts from golden to shadowed
42:43Slow motion
42:45She walks through crowds
42:47Offering a soft smile to a stranger
42:50In the book of Kennedy
42:52Project Carpe Diem
42:54Available now on Amazon
42:56In ebook, paperback, and hardcover editions
42:59Like and subscribe to
43:03Christitutionalist Politics Podcast
43:05And share episodes
43:07We need your help
43:09Thank you for having tuned into
43:12Another Christitutionalist Podcast Show
43:15I really appreciate that you stopped by
43:20Again, please like, share, subscribe
43:23We need you to help spread
43:26The Christitutionalist Movement
43:28Thank you again
43:30Take care
43:31God bless
43:33Love you all
Comments