Denise Massar's guest appearances

Denise Massar

Infant Adoption Guide Podcast

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Best Book Ever Podcast

Jami Albright

Lizbeth Meredith

Nathan Van Coops

Neil Peart

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte

Honorée Corder

Steve Harvey

Patti Smith

David Sedaris

Jacob Hess

Elizabeth Gilbert

Bryan Stevenson

James Clear

Becca Syme

OwlTail

In this episode Mark interviews Denise Massar about her memoir "Matched," about adoption, and about the work being done to find the right publisher for the manuscript. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update and a word from this episode's sponsor... You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.   During their conversation, Mark and Denise talk about:  Denise's memoir about adoption called "Matched" The process of private domestic newborn adoption and how it is different than the systems used to be How competitive the process is How adoptive parents are tasked 100% with finding their own birth mom The diverse range of women in a position of being pregnant and not wanting to keep their baby How the search for a birth mother can feel seedy Adoption being a hot-button topic, potentially as hot-button as the topic of abortion Seeing how an open adoption could be, with Denise's son Henry, and comparing that to her own adoption, which was secret/hidden How easy it was for both Denise and Mark to find their birth mothers thanks to the opening up of information, and the internet The impact of the "yes, I am your mother" message Denise was sent Calling the mother who raised her, her mother, and her birth mom her birth mother How Denise has always been a writer, and that she got her MFA in writing, but that this memoir was her first tangle product The process of finding a publisher for her memoir which was an unexpected journey after finishing the book Hiring Jane Friedman to critique her query letter What a book proposal is, what "comp titles" are The popular "adoption wheel" of shame/depression/etc The agent query process for Denise How the book went out on submission the day that most of the United States went into pandemic lock-down in 2020 The importance of an author being seen as current and relevant by a potential publisher The title "Matched" and consideration of creating a more intuitive/SEO based title for the book And more...    After the interview Mark reflects on the concept of how an editor goes to bat for a book at the editorial round table and other concepts discussed in the interview.   Links of Interest:  Denise Massar's Website  Twitter Instagram Facebook Medium   Are Editors Responding to Submissions During Coronavirus? (Article) 5 Things I Wanted My Son To Have From His Birth Mother (Article) Episode 108 - Silver Linings with Talena Winters Episode 163 - Getting a Creative Edge with Mickey Mikkelson The Creative Penn Episode 546 - Global, Wide Self-Publishing with Mark Leslie Lefebvre Top 35 Canadian Book Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021 Lawrence Hill Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books  This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City      Denise Massar, an adoptee and adoptive mom, lives in Orange County, California with her husband and three kids. A Washington State native, she earned her MA in English Literature from Central Washington University. Denise enjoys: Thrift store wandering, reading in bed with Aussie licorice (red), sweaty spin classes, salt air, and the belly laughs of her kids.   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark interviews Denise Massar about her memoir "Matched," about adoption, and about the work being done to find the right publisher for the manuscript. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update and a word from this episode's sponsor... <a href="http://www.findawayvoices.com/stark" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"></a>You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at <a href="https://starkreflections.ca/Findaway" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">starkreflections.ca/Findaway</a>. During their conversation, Mark and Denise talk about: <ul> <li>Denise's memoir about adoption called "Matched"</li> <li>The process of private domestic newborn adoption and how it is different than the systems used to be</li> <li>How competitive the process is</li> <li>How adoptive parents are tasked 100% with finding their own birth mom</li> <li>The diverse range of women in a position of being pregnant and not wanting to keep their baby</li> <li>How the search for a birth mother can feel seedy</li> <li>Adoption being a hot-button topic, potentially as hot-button as the topic of abortion</li> <li>Seeing how an open adoption could be, with Denise's son Henry, and comparing that to her own adoption, which was secret/hidden</li> <li>How easy it was for both Denise and Mark to find their birth mothers thanks to the opening up of information, and the internet</li> <li>The impact of the "yes, I am your mother" message Denise was sent</li> <li>Calling the mother who raised her, her mother, and her birth mom her birth mother</li> <li>How Denise has always been a writer, and that she got her MFA in writing, but that this memoir was her first tangle product</li> <li>The process of finding a publisher for her memoir which was an unexpected journey after finishing the book</li> <li>Hiring Jane Friedman to critique her query letter</li> <li>What a book proposal is, what "comp titles" are</li> <li>The popular "adoption wheel" of shame/depression/etc</li> <li>The agent query process for Denise</li> <li>How the book went out on submission the day that most of the United States went into pandemic lock-down in 2020</li> <li>The importance of an author being seen as current and relevant by a potential publisher</li> <li>The title "Matched" and consideration of creating a more intuitive/SEO based title for the book</li> <li>And more...</li> </ul> After the interview Mark reflects on the concept of how an editor goes to bat for a book at the editorial round table and other concepts discussed in the interview. Links of Interest: <ul> <li><a href="http://www.denisemassar.org" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Denise Massar's Website</a> <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/denisemassar" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/denisemassar/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/denise.skaggsmassar" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li> <li><a href="https://denisemassar.medium.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Medium</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://www.janefriedman.com/are-editors-responding-to-submissions-during-coronavirus/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Are Editors Responding to Submissions During Coronavirus?</a> (Article)</li> <li><a href="https://raisemagazine.com/5-things-i-wanted-my-son-to-have-from-his-birth-mother/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">5 Things I Wanted My Son To Have From His Birth Mother</a> (Article)</li> <li><a href="https://starkreflections.ca/2019/12/06/episode-108-silver-linings-with-talena-winters/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 108 - Silver Linings with Talena Winters</a></li> <li><a href="https://starkreflections.ca/2020/11/20/episode-163-getting-a-creative-edge-with-mickey-mikkelson/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 163 - Getting a Creative Edge with Mickey Mikkelson</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2021/04/19/self-publish-wide/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Creative Penn Episode 546 - Global, Wide Self-Publishing with Mark Leslie Lefebvre</a></li> <li><a href="https://blog.feedspot.com/canadian_book_podcasts/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Top 35 Canadian Book Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.lawrencehill.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Lawrence Hill</a></li> <li><a href="https://findawayvoices.com/starkreflections" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Findaway Voices</a></li> <li><a href="http://patreon.com/starkreflections" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon for Stark Reflections</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/wideforthewin" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Wide for the Win</a></li> <li>Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books <ul> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/thistimearound" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">This Time Around</a> (Short Story)</li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/acanadianwerewolfinnewyork" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">A Canadian Werewolf in New York</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/stoweaway" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Stowe Away</a> (Novella)</li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/fearandlonginginlosangeles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Fear and Longing in Los Angeles</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/frightnightsbigcity" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Fright Nights, Big City</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> Denise Massar, an adoptee and adoptive mom, lives in Orange County, California with her husband and three kids. A Washington State native, she earned her MA in English Literature from Central Washington University. Denise enjoys: Thrift store wandering, reading in bed with Aussie licorice (red), sweaty spin classes, salt air, and the belly laughs of her kids. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of <a href="https://incompetech.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.incompetech.com</a> and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Attribution 3.0</a>

EP 188 - A Gritty & Realistic Adoption & Publishing Journey with Denise Massar

This week, my Best Book Friend Denise Massar, memoirist, adoptee, and adoptive mom, joins me to talk about Mothers of Sparta by Dawn Davies. Note: this episode contains discussion of a memoir that includes triggering content, including child pornography and sociopathy. Support the Best Book Ever Podcast on Patreon   Follow the Best Book ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website   Host: Julie Strauss Website/Instagram/Facebook   Guest: Denise Massar Website/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Medium/Goodreads   Books discussed in this episode: Mothers of Sparta by Dawn Davies Mary Karr, Author and Memoirist Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller   Books discussed in Patreon-Exclusive Episode Inside Out: A Memoir by Demi Moore Me by Elton John

This week, my Best Book Friend Denise Massar, memoirist, adoptee, and adoptive mom, joins me to talk about Mothers of Sparta by Dawn Davies. Note: this episode contains discussion of a memoir that includes triggering content, including child pornography and sociopathy. Support the Best Book Ever Podcast on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/BestBookEver" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a> Follow the Best Book ever Podcast on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bestbookeverpodcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> or on the <a href="https://juliewroteabook.com/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Best Book Ever Website</a> Host: Julie Strauss <a href="https://juliewroteabook.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a>/<a href="https://www.instagram.com/juliewroteabook/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>/<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JulieWroteABook/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> Guest: Denise Massar <a href="http://denisemassar.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a>/<a href="https://www.facebook.com/denisemassar/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>/<a href="https://twitter.com/denisemassar" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>/<a href="https://www.instagram.com/denisemassar/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>/<a href="https://medium.com/@denisemassar" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Medium</a>/<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/105024633-denise-massar" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> Books discussed in this episode: <a href="https://amzn.to/2LVbSSx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mothers of Sparta by Dawn Davies</a> <a href="https://www.marykarr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mary Karr, Author and Memoirist</a> <a href="https://amzn.to/3e0GZI7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller</a> Books discussed in Patreon-Exclusive Episode <a href="https://amzn.to/36f7B5r" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Inside Out: A Memoir by Demi Moore</a> <a href="https://amzn.to/2TmdOHQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Me by Elton John</a>

002 Denise Massar on "Mothers of Sparta" by Dawn Davies

“We got the call on New Year’s Day, 2014: a birth mom had chosen us and we’d been matched. But after my son was home in my arms, my birth mom search wasn’t over. I decided it was time to find the woman who had given birth to me.” Denise Massar – Author of MATCHED: […] The post IAG 067: The Story of an adoptee and mom through adoption – Denise Massar, author of MATCHED: A Memoir first appeared on Infant Adoption Guide.

“We got the call on New Year’s Day, 2014: a birth mom had chosen us and we’d been matched. But after my son was home in my arms, my birth mom search wasn’t over. I decided it was time to find the woman who had given birth to me.” Denise Massar – Author of MATCHED: […] The post <a href="https://infantadoptionguide.com/iag-067-the-story-of-an-adoptee-and-mom-through-adoption-denise-massar-author-of-matched-a-memoir/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">IAG 067: The Story of an adoptee and mom through adoption – Denise Massar, author of MATCHED: A Memoir</a> first appeared on <a href="https://infantadoptionguide.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Infant Adoption Guide</a>.

IAG 067: The Story of an adoptee and mom through adoption – Denise Massar, author of MATCHED: A Memoir