Robert Hatch has over thirty years experience as a director/producer/writer of dramatic films, documentaries, and television series, and his films have received over three hundred awards and honors from film festivals in the U.S. and internationally.

He stated that he is always on the lookout for new material to turn into movies.

323. Robert Hatch: How Does a Writer Go About Getting A Book Made Into a Movie

SINCERITY

On the evening of Thursday, April 10, 2025 at the 41st Annual Writers of the Future and the 36th Annual Illustrators of the Future L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards Gala in the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Randyn C. J. Bartholomew from Brooklyn, NY was named the 2025 Grand Prize Writer Winner and Jordan Smajstrla of Boerne, TX was named the 2025 Grand Prize Illustrator Winner. 

Randyn C. J. Bartholomew said, “This is a dream come true! It’s hard to imagine; it’s wild! I think the most important thing I learned this week is that there’s a community of people doing this. It’s not you or me sitting alone at laptops anymore. Thank you!”

Jordan Smajstrla said, “I am so honored to have been chosen. I wouldn’t be here without my writer. His story is the foundation of my illustration. Arts is one of the most important things in life. If you are driven to create, create.  Don’t let anyone stop you or tell you you aren’t good enough. Artistic expression brings people together and makes the world a better place. Never stop.”

This interview was recorded at the Loews Hotel in Hollywood, California, the morning following the Awards Gala.

324. Grand Prize Winners Randyn Bartholomew, Writer, and Jordan Smajstrla, Illustrator

Today’s guests are Jim, Tamra, and Taylor Meskimen along with Kirby Heyborne. The Meskimens were recorded in a studio in Los Angeles while Kirby was from his home in Utah. This episode discusses creating the Writers of the Future Volume 41 audiobook.

Jim is an actor, comedian, and impressionist best known for his voice-over work in video games. His IMDB page has over 330 entries, some of which include Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Thundercats, Parks and Recreation, and Jib Jabs’ This Land is Your Land.

Tamra is an actor who has appeared in shows such as Physical, American Crime Story, and General Hospital. She established an improv company devoted to improvising one-act plays and co-founded an acting school, The Acting Center, where she teaches and performs.

Their daughter Taylor is also an actor accomplished in improv, dance, song, and film. When she isn’t in recording studios, she has performed for over a decade at venues throughout Los Angeles, narrating over 130 audiobooks, including Riverdale, Enders Game Alive, and Midnight Sun.

Kirby Heyborne is an actor, musician, singer, songwriter, narrator, and comedian. He has also worked extensively as an audiobook narrator, having narrated more than 2,000 books.

325. Making the Writers of the Future 41 Audiobook - Kirby Heyborne and Jim, Tamra, Taylor Meskimen

Isaac Stewart, once an independent author and artist, now serves as the Vice President of Creative Development at Dragonsteel Entertainment. Isaac designed and illustrated the interior art for Brandon Sanderson’s “The Way of Kings,” including the Alethi Women’s script, maps, Shallan’s and Navani’s notebook pages, and additional artwork. He also created the interior art for the Mistborn series, featuring the Steel alphabet, maps, and Allomantic table. Stewart is closely linked to two Cosmere characters: Nazrilof, a character he created and partially based on himself, and the cartographer Isasik Shulin, whose name derives from Isaac’s.

Beyond his contributions to Sanderson’s works, Isaac is writing books, creating cartography, and designing book covers. He collaborated with Shawn Boyles on the webcomic “Rocket Road Trip.” Isaac and his wife, Kera, joined Dragonsteel Entertainment around 2013, with Isaac hired as an in-house artist before the publication of “Words of Radiance.”

Isaac attended the Life, the Universe, & Everything (LTUE) annual booksales event, where he gifted the podcast host a copy of his book “Monsters Don’t Wear Underpants” and which became part of this podcast discussion.

Learn more about Isaac at https://coppermind.net/wiki/Coppermind:Artists/Isaac_Stewart

326. Isaac Stewart VP Creative Development Dragonsteel Entertainment

En este programa se comparten las primeras palabras de Jesús resucitado a sus discípulos: «La paz sea con ustedes», las mismas que escogió el cardenal Robert Francis Prevost en su primer saludo como papa León XIV anunciado al mundo el 8 de mayo de 2025. A propósito de la cercanía del Día de las Madres 2025 se comparte la trágica historia de una madre cubana a quien no se concedió su último deseo antes de morir, ver por última vez a su hijo, preso de conciencia cubano, y se recuerda otra tragedia de madres cubanas por esas mismas fechas en 2011. Y ante estas historias, el primer deseo de Jesús resucitado y del nuevo papa León XIV cobra aún mayor sentido para Cuba. 

Las primeras palabras del Papa León XIV

Jonathan Merkh is the President and Publisher at Forefront Books. Andrea Fleck-Nesbit, president of the Independent Book Publishers Association and a previous podcast guest, introduced Merkh to the host. 

Merkh previously served as vice president and publisher at Thomas Nelson Publishers, led Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, and Guidepost. Jonathan has published nearly 100 New York Times bestsellers. In 2023, Publishers Weekly recognized Forefront Books as the second fastest-growing publisher in the United States, and Inc. Magazine included Forefront Books among the nation’s top fastest-growing companies.

In this episode, we discuss the history of publishing, the need to have a platform as an author, the specialty niche that Forefront Books specializes in, and tips for writers of fiction and nonfiction.

Learn more at www.forefrontbooks.com/

327. Jonathan Merkh President Forefront Books, #2 Fastest Growing Publisher in the US

Named SoundCloud’s May Ascending Artist, honestav is quickly cementing his place as one of the most exciting emerging voices in music. The Ascending program, built to spotlight artists on the brink of breakthrough, shines a well-deserved light on his rising momentum.

Fresh off the release of his debut album hara-kiri, honestav came by and blessed us with a live rendition of his latest single, “Livin’ Wrong,” for “The Booth” — SoundCloud’s newest live performance series — filmed in our NYC studio. Hit play and vibe out ~

Recorded live at the SoundCloud office in NYC – April 30, 2025 
Produced by: J Kash https://www.instagram.com/jkash/ 
Recording, Mixing & Mastering: Dom Martin https://soundcloud.com/soydommartin 
Visuals: Steve Muelz https://www.instagram.com/stevemuelz/?hl=en 


HONESTAV - LIVIN’ WRONG | THE BOOTH

Programa también dedicado al 130 aniversario de la muerte de José Martí en Dos Ríos y al 123 de fundación de la República de Cuba. Se comparten: lectura y reflexión del Salmo 137:1; a petición de los oyentes, lectura de fragmentos del capítulo XXX y final de del libro ¨Martí, el Apóstol¨ de Jorge Mañach; e interpretación de versión cubana del Coro de los Esclavos Hebreos (Va, pensiero), de la ópera "Nabucco" de Giuseppe Verdi por el cantante cubano Félix Bernal, acompañado por Darlén Trujillo (piano), Andrés Trujillo (violín) y Dagmar Arencibia (percusión), pieza que coincidentemente se interpretó en el X Aniversario de la revista Vitral (en 2004) en Pinar del Río, y 21 años después, el 17 de mayo de 2025 en el X Encuentro del Centro de Estudios Convivencia en la FIU en Miami.

Mayo, Martí, y la República (II)

En este programa se realiza una alerta por preocupante estado de salud del preso político y de conciencia Félix Navarro, quien había sido excarcelado en enero pero el 29 de abril le fue revocada la excarcelación junto a José Daniel Ferrer y fue devuelto a la prisión. Félix Navarro, su hija Sayli Navarro y Sissi Abascal fueron los premios Patmos 2024 lo cual se recuerda en el programa en la sección Voz Adentro. Se incluyen audios muy valiosos de archivo tanto de Félix como de Sayli Navarro. 

Peligra la vida de Félix Navarro, Premio Patmos 2024 junto a sus Sayli y Sissi

Mario Félix Lleonart Barroso
nació el 17 de junio de 1975. Pastor
bautista, es fundador y coordinador
general en Cuba del Instituto
Patmos. Es cubano pero vive
como refugiado en Maryland, USA,
donde pastorea la Iglesia Bautista de
Waldorf. Fundador en Cuba de las revistas independientes ‘Cuadernos
de Pensamiento Plural’ y ‘Nota del Cielo’. Artículos suyos pueden
encontrarse además en las revistas ‘Signos’, ‘Voces’ y ‘Convivencia’, y
en el diario digital 14ymedio. Desde octubre de 2010 postea en su
blog Cubano Confesante y se expresa desde su cuenta de Twitter @
maritovoz.

Las primeras palabras del Papa León XIV

maritovoz

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