Uncorking a Story

Uncorking a Story

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

Episodes

November 13, 2025 34 mins
"What felt like the darkest night became the beginning of something brand new." — Sarah May In this inspiring episode of Uncorking a Story, host Mike Carlon speaks with yoga instructor, Reiki healer, and debut memoirist Sarah May about her transformative journey through heartbreak, healing, and radical reinvention. From living in a van with her husband to exploring plant medicine and energy work, Sarah shares how writing her mem...
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"Grief doesn’t end—it lives alongside joy, love, and purpose. You can carry both." — Stacy Bass In this deeply moving episode of Unquarking Your Story, host Mike Carlon sits down with author and photographer Stacy Bass to explore her memoir Lightkeeper, a poignant reflection on love, loss, and legacy. Stacy shares how personal tragedy led her to write, how photography became a portal to memory, and why keeping the light alive—thro...
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“Innovation isn’t just about process—it’s about emotion. If you’re not feeling resistance, you’re probably not stretching far enough.” — Brianna Sylver In this episode of Uncorking a Story, host Michael Carlon sits down with nationally recognized innovation strategist Brianna Sylver, founder of Sylver Consulting and author of Leading Through Freefall. Brianna shares the deeply personal and spiritual journey behind her book, whic...
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"Write the book you want to read. That’s when everything changed for me." — Miranda Smith  In this episode of Uncorking Story, host Mike Carlon sits down with bestselling author Miranda Smith, whose psychological thrillers and domestic suspense novels have captivated readers since her debut in 2020. From growing up in a video rental store to publishing 13 books in just five years, Miranda shares her journey, creative process, an...
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“Energy cannot be destroyed. So where does it go? The energy is the soul, and the soul goes on. Heaven isn’t up through the clouds—it’s right here, a different dimension.” — Anna Raimondi Spiritual medium, intuitive, and author Anna Raimondi joins me for a deeply moving conversation about faith, the afterlife, and finding your soul’s purpose. A born medium who began seeing spirits as a child, Anna shares how her lifelong connect...
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“Whether or not money comes out of this is yet to be seen. The main thing is—does it help people? Is it spreading a good message? That’s ultimately why I’m doing this.” — Heather Snodgrass Actor, author, and debut novelist Heather Snodgrass joins me to talk about her first book, A Love Letter to Reading, a story that blends heart-pounding suspense with deep emotional reflection. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Art...
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“My trauma is no longer telling me what to do every day the way that it once was.” Vanessa Carlisle Dr. Vanessa Carlisle (they/them)—author, coach, educator, and longtime advocate for sex-working communities—joins me to explore healing after trauma, the complex overlap between sexuality and addiction recovery, and what it means to rebuild connection with self and others. We also discuss Vanessa’s end-of-life care work as a death d...
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“There really is enlightenment and awakening in the intersection between trauma and spirituality—if you go into it and don’t push it away.” — Kristina Amelong In this episode of Uncorking a Story, Mike sits down with Kristina Amelong—artist, healer, founder of Optimal Health Network, and author of the memoir What My Brother Knew. Kristina opens up about the profound loss of her brother, who eerily foresaw his own death, and the ri...
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Fiction is the only way I know to get to the truth of human experience.” — H. Lee Barnes In this episode of Uncorking a Story, I sit down with award-winning author H. Lee Barnes, whose life journey has taken him from the battlefields of Vietnam to the classrooms of Nevada, and ultimately to the pages of acclaimed novels and short stories. With his trademark candor, Lee reflects on how his military service shaped his worldview, why...
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“Sometimes you need someone outside of your family and friends to tell you, ‘This part doesn’t make sense,’ or ‘Try it this way.’ That honest feedback is what makes your writing stronger.” – Christine Devane  Christine Devane spent 13 years as a second-grade teacher, where she fell in love with story time and noticed something missing on the shelves—books that spoke directly to shy children. Drawing from her own childhood experien...
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Two attributes of being an author are humility and perseverance. You have to push through a whole lot of no’s and believe you have something there—and have the humility to step back, receive critiques, and let your story grow.” — Camille Di Maio In this episode of Uncorking a Story, I sit down with bestselling historical fiction author Camille Di Maio to talk about her path from a 12-year-old bookworm seeking refuge in the library...
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September 30, 2025 32 mins
“The stories aren’t about violence—they’re about the preciousness of life. Each one is a reminder that this could happen to anyone.” — Jude Berman Jude Berman grew up surrounded by books and cultural diversity, thanks to her refugee parents. After a career in academic research and running independent presses, she turned her attention to her own writing. In this episode of Uncorking a Story, Jude rejoins me to discuss her latest wo...
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“Don’t look around—just run your own race. That’s what I’d tell my younger self about writing.”-Melanie Anagnos Melanie Anagnos has worn many hats—waitress, attorney, stay-at-home mom—but her true calling emerged when she pursued her MFA at Sarah Lawrence College. Now, she’s making waves in the crime fiction world with her novel Night Swimming, a police procedural set in her hometown of Paterson, New Jersey. In this conversation, ...
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“Being disillusioned is a very hard place to be in… but I realized my master’s job was to set me free. In the end, that heartbreak gave me the freedom to discover my own truth.” — Deborah Rudell In this episode of Uncorking a Story, I sit down with Deborah Rudell, author of Grit and Grace, to explore her extraordinary life. From growing up on the road in a converted school bus, to living on a controversial commune in Oregon, to re...
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“When it goes well, writing feels the way it did when I was eight years old—immersed in the story, not thinking about outcome, just the pure joy of language.” – Jackie Thomas Kennedy Jackie Thomas Kennedy, author of The Other Wife, joins Uncorking a Story to explore the craft of fiction, the role of memory, and the tension between who we are and who we imagine we could be. A Stegner Fellow and widely published short story writer, ...
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“I wanted to write a character who was a relatable superhero—someone a woman today might connect with, not a god or an alien, but a real person with real struggles.” — Caitlyn Grabenstein In this episode of Uncorking a Story, I sit down with author and artist Caitlin Grabenstein, the creative force behind the surreal collage brand Cult Class whose work has been commissioned by Netflix, Adobe, Glamour, and Porsche. Caitlin joins ...
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“From the very outset, people thought, ‘This can’t possibly be true.’ But it was—and the deeper we dug, the stranger it became.” — Jerry Jamison  In this episode of Uncorking a Story, I sit down with award-winning advertising copywriter turned novelist Jerry Jamison, whose latest book Vanishing Act unearths one of history’s most shocking forgotten stories: a career con man, a faked death, and a doomed airliner. With decades of e...
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“This is not about rejection—it’s about sacrifice.” – Edward Di Gangi Adopted at birth and raised as an only child, Edward Di Gangi never sought the details of his adoption—until a quiet moment in a New Jersey cemetery at age 69 set him on a journey of discovery. That path led to his acclaimed memoir The Gift Best Given, and now to his latest work, Gliding Through Goodbye. In this deeply empathetic conversation, Ed shares how he...
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“It took me 12 years to write it and get it to a publisher… writing a book was a lot harder than an Ironman.” In this heartfelt episode of Uncorking a Story, I sit down with Betsy Armstrong—writer, mom, athlete, and philanthropist—to explore the winding path that led her to authorship. From losing her mother at 23, to navigating midlife, infertility, and ultimately adopting two children from Russia, Betsy’s story is one of resil...
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“I flipped twice… my seatbelt wrapped around my neck, so my airway was cut off and I was blue… Doctors called my family in for my last rites that evening.” — Lisa Labozzo In this moving episode of Uncorking a Story, Reiki Master and intuitive healer Lisa Labozzo shares how a life-altering car accident became the catalyst for a spiritual awakening. Once a high-powered fashion executive, Lisa now devotes her life to healing others...
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