by Aaron Mahnke | Feb 3, 2018 | Podcasting
Unless you and/or your co-host are major celebrities, no one wants to hear 10 minutes of off-topic banter before you get to the actual topic. Respect your listeners’ time and get to the point. Take the advice of the late, great Tom Petty: “Don’t bore us; get to the...
by Aaron Mahnke | May 22, 2017 | Personal
I navigated the turbulent waters of high school with my head down and my guard up. I was poor. Most of my clothes were old hand-me-downs from a cousin. Despite my best efforts, I could never fit in—whatever the hell that was supposed to mean in 1991. Instead, I...
by Aaron Mahnke | Apr 18, 2017 | Uncategorized
Another year in the books…whew! I launched this little podcast on March 18th of 2015, and here we are, two years later, and my-oh-my has the journey evolved. At the end of the first year, Lore had been listened to 12 million times. By the end of the second year,...
by Aaron Mahnke | Sep 15, 2016 | Personal, Podcasting
I occasionally take flack for my attitude on twitter when it comes to the success of Lore and my thoughts on podcasting as an industry. But it’s easy to misunderstand someone when you only take in partial elements of their public life. Context is the key to a...
by Aaron Mahnke | Mar 9, 2016 | Writing
Writers love to count their words, and that’s a good thing. Let’s just get that onto the table right away. I count my words. So does my friend Harry, and my friend Kelly, and my friend Rachel. If you spend a lot of time writing, sometimes it’s the only way to measure...
by Aaron Mahnke | Jan 8, 2016 | Lore, Podcasting
I’m not one for end of the year posts, the kinds that summarize all of the things I might have succeeded or failed at. But I do use the end of a year as a chance to glance backward. Sometimes it’s just to take a moment to breath. Sometimes it’s all about saying...
by Aaron Mahnke | Jun 10, 2015 | Lore, Podcasting
My little podcast about true scary stories, called Lore, is currently ranked 11 out of all iTunes podcasts. That’s kind of a big deal, I think. There are some other shows doing better. Some guy named Stephen Colbert is sitting at the top, looking down at...
by Aaron Mahnke | Apr 2, 2015 | Lore
My new podcast, Lore, is something that seems to make sense for me. I’ve had a lot of friends tell me that it fits really well with my other projects, namely my fiction writing. Surprisingly, it wasn’t an easy idea for me to arrive at. Originally, the stories that...
by Aaron Mahnke | Mar 23, 2015 | Lore
Last week, I released the first episode of a new project called Lore. It’s a bi-weekly (twice a month) podcast that takes a high-production, narrative approach to the stories behind the things that frighten us. Each episode will be short and professional,...
by Aaron Mahnke | Jan 26, 2015 | Writing
Anyone who knows me well knows that I like data. No, scratch that; I love data. The more I know about something quantitatively, the better focused I feel. I bring this passion to my fiction writing, which many people find surprising. Because of the odd juxtaposition...
by Aaron Mahnke | Dec 22, 2014 | Uncategorized
I’m excited to announce the release of my latest novel today. Consumed is a thriller with a supernatural flavor, and is one heck of a ride. You can read more about the novel here. Consumed is available in paperback and ebook format, on both Amazon’s Kindle...
by Aaron Mahnke | Sep 10, 2014 | Uncategorized
One of the items that jumped out at those who watched the big Apple event on Tuesday was a change in the naming of their new products. In the past, it was almost guaranteed that a new device, and certainly one that opened up a new product category for the company,...
by Aaron Mahnke | Feb 13, 2014 | Uncategorized
I wanted to check in and reflect on the first week of sales for my new novel, Indian Summer. I posted a Day One report, and it was amazing how many people found it informative, useful and even encouraging. In the spirit of transparency, here is my (humble and meager)...
by Aaron Mahnke | Feb 7, 2014 | Uncategorized, Writing
I released a new novel yesterday, and I thought I would share how the process went and what my numbers looked like. The voyeuristic nature in many people might find this bit of the self-publishing adventure especially enlightening. First, let’s start with what I...
by Aaron Mahnke | Feb 6, 2014 | Uncategorized
I’m very excited to announce that my new novel, Indian Summer, is finally available. The advance reviews have already been humbling to read: “This book had me hooked from the first page of chapter 1. I couldn’t put it down. It was the perfect pace...
by Aaron Mahnke | Feb 1, 2014 | Writing
The release date for my upcoming novel, Indian Summer, is fast approaching. In the spirit of sharing, I thought I would give everyone a preview of the cover and the book description. Consider this a chance to whet your whistle. The guilt of our childhood can haunt us...
by Aaron Mahnke | Jan 22, 2014 | Personal, Writing
My maternal grandmother, Jean, passed away about an hour ago. She was a strong woman. After raising five daughters and helping my grandfather build his own successful business, she became a widow at the young age of fifty. When my grandfather passed away, she sold his...
by Aaron Mahnke | Jan 18, 2014 | Uncategorized
More and more writers are turning to self-publishing as a way to get their creative projects into the marketplace. Say what you want about self-publishing, if your book project is done right and held to the same standards as traditionally published work, there’s...
by Aaron Mahnke | Jan 13, 2014 | Writing
I wrapped up the final portion of the first draft of my new novel this past Friday afternoon. What a relief! Of course, the work isn’t done yet. I made a huge mistake with my first two novels by only putting them in front of just two proofreading “beta...
by Aaron Mahnke | Jan 6, 2014 | Writing
Here’s a great post from by pal Harry Marks, discussing the difference between writing a novel by the seat of your pants and plotting it out in-detail before beginning. Both methods have created amazing results. For example, Marks mentions how J.K. Rowling...
