The Danny and Park Novels Good News Podcast

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. This episode’s guest is Tori Zobel, owner of Tori Renayyy Photography. We follow each other on Instagram and Facebook, and she posts AMAZING photos. Recently, she’s branched out and has been posting boudoir photos that are simply beautiful. I reached out to her to see if she’d like to do an episode, and luckily for all of us, she said that she would, and here she is. I hope you enjoy our conversation.  I never know where these conversations are going to go with people that I’ve never met, but as you can tell, our conversation was fantastic. As I mentioned to her afterwards, I’ve never even considered saying “titties” on an episode, yet the word just popped out today. That’s the kind of spontaneity I enjoy, and guests like Tori are why I do this podcast. I’d like to thank her for coming on and hope she comes back soon. You can find Tori's work on Instagram: tori_renayyy_photography and..... Facebook: Tori Renayyy Photography As always, thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. This episode’s guest is Jenna Crockett, a former volunteer firefighter, former Richmond Ambulance EMT, former Richmond police dispatcher, former.,.,,I could go on, but Jenna currently is a nurse practitioner, wife, and mother. And she did NOT like it when I cut the interview short due to time constraints! But she’s a fabulous person and makes me laugh. So, here she is. I hope you enjoy the episode. After you listen,  let me know if you heard the surprise (anger) in her voice when I brought the episode to a close. I made sure to reassure her that I was going to have her back on for additional episodes and that she could finish her story and tell me more. My only caveat was that she had to give me a hard time for cutting her short. Not surprisingly, she readily agreed. So stay tuned for future Jenna episodes. And as always, thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I'm Jamie Baynes. This episode's guest is Katherine Boyle, the host of the fantastic podcast, Beyond the Uniform with the LT's Daughter. I'm on the Peer Support team for my agency, and one of the guest speakers was Katherine. After she spoke, I was so impressed with what she had to say and the focus of her mission, I wanted to have her on my podcast, and here she is. I hope you enjoy our conversation.  Then, after you listen, let me know what you think of Katherine. For me, as a 33-year veteran of law enforcement, the fact that a civilian cares enough to see police officers as regular, everyday people, people who are mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers, and sons and daughters, is a rare and wonderful thing. 2020 was a rough year for police officers, and many of us are still recovering from it. Now we're having to contend with a resurgence of anti-law enforcement rhetoric, so it's nice to know that we have people like Katherine in our corner. You can catch up with Katherine on IG: @theltsdaughter or check out her podcast here 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽 https://www.beyondtheuniform.co/ I'd like to thank Katherine for coming on the podcast, and I look forward to talking to her again soon. Until next time, take care of one another, listen to one another, and as always, thanks for tuning in. 

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. For this episode, I’m thrilled to have back bestselling author and my friend, Yasmin Angoe. Yasmin just released her 5th, yes 5th, novel, and we talk about that, her book writing process, and, of course, crinkly or wrinkly fries? Regardless, here she is. I hope you enjoy our conversation. As always, I want to thank Yasmin for joining me again to talk about this and that. She’s a joy to talk to and one of my favorite people on the planet. Be sure to check out all of her books on her website, Yasminangoe.com, Amazon, or at your favorite bookstore. Here's a link to her website 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽                                  https://yasminangoe.com/ As always, take care of one another, be kind to one another, and thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. For this episode, I’m honored to have back best-selling author Kathy Reichs. I need to preface this intro by thanking Kathy not only for coming on my podcast again, but also for showing extreme patience with me. I’ve done over a hundred episodes and have never, ever forgotten to hit the record button once I start an interview. Until this episode, that is. About two minutes into our conversation, I looked down at my recorder and saw……nothing. Just the screen staring back at me as if it wanted to ask, “Are you gonna record this or what?” Obviously, I was mortified, so I had to interrupt Kathy mid-sentence and ask if we could start over. She graciously said that we could, and this episode is the finished product.  I’d like to thank Kathy again, not only for taking time out of her schedule to talk to a guy with a small podcast, but for having the patience to put up with technical difficulties, vis-à-vis not hitting the record button on his equipment. She truly is a remarkable person and I sure do hope she’ll come back on a third time so we can chat some more. Make sure that you check out her new book, Evil Bones, and head over to her website to keep up with her while she’s on her hiatus.                                              https://kathyreichs.com/ Until next time, take care of one another and, as always, thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. For this episode, I’m excited to have bestselling author and fantastic all around person, Tracy Clark, back on the podcast. I interviewed Tracy when her first Harriet Foster book was released and here she is again, with the fourth book in the series, Edge, due to be released at the beginning of December. Tracy is so much fun to talk to, I’m going to cut this intro short and jump right into it. I hope you have as much fun listening as I had recording it.  Then after you listen, let me know.....Is Tracy a hoot or what? We haven’t spoken since the last time I interviewed her, but she’s just so funny and easy to talk to, it feels like we talk all the time. She’s direct, straightforward, humble and brilliant. What more could you ask for in a person? I’d like to thank Tracy for coming on again and I hope she comes back on many more times. She’s always welcome. So, until next time, take care of one another, ignore the bad folks, lift up the good ones, and as always, thanks for listening. Check out Tracy's website here ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://tracyclarkbooks.com/

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Recently, I got an email from a publicist asking if I’d like to interview a new author who wrote about his experiences as an aviator on an AC-130 Spectre gunship. Now usually, there will be some back and forth between the publicist and I to schedule the interview. I’ve found that some publicists send out pitches to quite a few podcasters, so it can take a while to set up the interviews. This author’s story fascinated me, so instead of waiting for the back and forth with the publicist, I looked up the author online and contacted him directly. And here he is. I hope you enjoy our conversation. After you listen, let me know what you think. So many people, especially military and first responders, have so embedded themselves in their roles that when they leave their profession, they feel adrift and no longer part of their extended family. This leaves them feeling untethered and lost, which can lead to depression and addiction. I appreciate how honest Anthony is about his struggles and how he’s working to overcome them. And stay positive and help others as well. Anthony is truly a hero and I hope he comes back for another episode. Check out his book on Amazon: Moon Child: The Roots and Wings of a USAF Combat Special Missions Aviator https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Child-Special-Missions-Aviator/dp/B0DZMXBHJ4  Until next time, take care of one another, and thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Recently I got an email from a publicist asking if I’d like to interview an author who’s written seven novels, with another due to be released soon. Anyone who knows me can already guess what my answer was. Absolutely I would. So, we coordinated the time and date and it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Elle Marr. Sit back, relax and I hope you enjoy our conversation.  After you listen, I have a question. Have you ever met someone and from the first few sentences they speak, you know that you’re going to enjoy talking to them? That’s how I felt talking with Elle. She’s such a down to earth and funny person, the interview just flew by. Make sure you check out her new book, The Lie She Wears, when it’s released, then head out to your bookstore or go to her website and catch up on her previous books. There’s a lot to choose from.  Check out her website here ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://ellemarr.com/ I’d like to thank Elle for being a guest and thank you for tuning in. Until next time, take care of one another and thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I'm Jamie Baynes. This episode’s guest is author Dan E. Hendrickson. I received an email from his publicist asking if I’d like to have Dan as a guest. Dan was raised in Wyoming and has firsthand experience in law enforcement, emergency response and is a martial arts instructor. Additionally, he studied investigative journalism and gained a degree in practical theology. Oh yeah, and he’s also written nine novels with a tenth one on the way. So would I be interested in having him on as a guest? The answer is obvious, and here he is. I hope you enjoy the episode. After you listen, tell me what you think of Dan. I think the storyline behind his novel, Magi Apprentice, is fascinating. And you have got to check out his books. Every one of them looks like a must-read. Dan made an excellent point when I asked him how he stays positive in these turbulent times. I think we all need to find something to believe in so we can remain positive when it seems like so many forces are trying to push us towards hatred and division. Check out Dan's website here: ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://danehendrickson.com/ I hope you find the belief that keeps you centered and positive. Until next time, take care of one another, and as always, thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m lucky enough to get email pitches from publicists from time to time, which I thoroughly enjoy because they introduce me to people I never would have thought to speak with. Recently, I was asked if I’d like to interview Dominic Hoffman about his upcoming book of short stories. I of course said yes, then stopped short. Dominic Hoffman? THE Dominic Hoffman. He’s been in a ton of shows that I’ve watched, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to talk to him. See if you can tell….I hope you enjoy the episode. You know, sometimes it seems rare that you hit it off with someone you’ve never met and immediately feel comfortable talking to that person. Well, right from the start, Dominic was easy to talk to and he’s so insightful that it’s hard to stop talking to him. I think that’s what’s lacking in today’s interactions: actually talking to someone.Not texting them or commenting back and forth over social media posts. We need to rediscover the art of conversation. It will make us all better people.  Make sure you check out Dominic’s book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You won’t be sorry. Check out Dominic here ⬇️⬇️⬇️ IG: @dominichoffman18 Facebook: https://facebook.com/stage.screen.pen And buy his book here: ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Late-Rehearsals/Dominic-Hoffman/9781998076468 Until next time, take care of one another, talk to one another. As always, thank for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. A few weeks ago, I got an email asking if I’d like to interview the CEO of a nonprofit veteran support group called Clear Path for Veterans. I was absolutely interested because A), I’ve done interviews with the All Secure Foundation in the past, and B), I enjoy talking to veterans. So, I got Ryan Woodruff’s number and gave him a call. So sit back, relax, and prepare to be amazed at what Clear Path for Veterans offers to our country’s bravest men and women. After you listen, let me know your thoughts on Ryan and Clear Path for Veterans. As I mentioned in our conversation, the drill sergeant saying, “Welcome Home” to Ryan at their first meeting really struck a chord with me. So many veterans feel out of place and on their own when they leave the service, giving them a safe place to call home is quite simply, incredible. I’m truly honored that Ryan agreed to come on the podcast and I hope he comes back soon.  I highly encourage you to check out Clear Path's website here: ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://www.clearpath4vets.com Until next time, take care of one another, and as always, thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Recently I received an email asking if I’d like to have Forensic psychiatrist and author, Dr. Carole Lieberman on as a guest. I’m always looking for new and intriguing guests and was definitely interested in talking to her, especially after I saw that she’s studied Trump Derangement Syndrome and wants to have it become a recognized mental health disorder. In this episode we discuss that, as well as the assassination of Charlie Kirk, education and the media. We cover a lot in this episode and I'm interested in hearing your opinion after you listen.  I consider myself neither Democrat nor Republican, liberal nor conservative. I’m firmly independent and like to think that I view the world through a lens of common sense. I’m sure people have differing opinions on whether Trump Derangement Syndrome is real or whether Charlie Kirk spoke the truth. There’s nothing wrong with disagreeing with one another. In fact, healthy debate is good for everyone. What angers me is when people use the words ‘Nazi’ and ‘fascist’ so casually. Especially when the words are used by people who’ve received a higher education and should know better. All that being said, I know that despite the high concentration of hate that pervades social media, in real life, people are kind to each other every, single day. Let’s keep it up. If you'd like to explore more of Dr. Lieberman's work, check out the link here: ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://terroristtherapist.com/ Unitl next time, take care of one another, and as always, thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. I love getting emails from publicists asking if I’d be interested in interviewing an author for an episode. Normally, I see someone who interests me, then I reach out to them. But these email pitches are always a nice surprise, and the streak continues with this episode’s guest, award-winning author Christa Carmen. So without further ado, sit back, relax, and I hope you enjoy our conversation. Then, tell me what you think of Christa. As I mentioned in the interview, I’ve never interviewed a horror writer before, so talking to Christa and listening to her viewpoints was fascinating. Even if the people in Rhode Island try to stake a claim on Richmond’s Edgar Alan Poe.  I hope Christa comes back for future episodes and wish her a long and fruitful writing career. Check out all of Christa's books here: ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://www.christacarmen.com/ Until next time, take care of one another, and as always, thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. For this episode, I’m welcoming back two of my favorite people, Johnnie Calloway Sr, and El-Amin. The wrestler, Hulk Hogan, died about a week before this episode, and El-Amin was a big fan of Hogan. El-Amin posted a photo of Muhammad Ali holding up Hulk Hogan’s arm after a wrestling victory and added a broken heart emoji to the post. To his surprise, around forty people came at El-Amin and told him that he shouldn’t mourn Hogan because of a statement that he made about his daughter dating a black guy. El-Amin pushed back, and that’s where our conversation started. I want to make my listeners aware, these guys are very direct and honest with each other and don’t hold back, which is exactly why I love having them on. The language may offend some listeners, so be prepared, but I’ll never censor my guests, so you’ve been warned. And as always, I hope you enjoy the episode. And after you listen, what’s your take on what was discussed?  I’m so glad that my podcast is completely independent and I can have on any guests that I want and they can say whatever they’d like. There’s no one sponsoring me and no one to tell me what I can and can’t talk about. If there’s any other podcast out there that’s as honest as mine, I haven’t heard it. And if there are any guests out there like Johnnie and El-Amin, I haven’t heard them. These guys are the best, and I’m honored to have them on as regular guests. I hope you continue to enjoy them as much as I do. I think that honesty and frank conversations are the backbone of positivity, and I plan on having Johnnie and El-Amin on for many episodes to come. So, until next time, take care of one another, be honest and respectful of one another, and as always, thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Steve Wills. I met Steve when he got promoted to sergeant, and I took his spot as an investigator with the sheriff’s office. Steve looks mild-mannered until he opens his mouth and you realize that this guy is hilarious. I’ve been trying to get Steve on the podcast for months, and we were finally able to coordinate our schedules to make it work. I take him through his career with the sheriff’s office, even though he tried to wrap it up in about six minutes. As a bonus, at the end of the interview, he talks about, well, let’s just say if you saw the picture for the episode, you have a pretty good idea about the final portion of the interview. So sit back, relax, and get ready to laugh. I hope you enjoy the episode.  I have no idea how to follow not one, but two stories about chimps on the loose. I’d like to thank Steve for coming on the show and highly encourage my listeners to check out the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. I truly enjoy working for this agency, and the people that I work with are the best in the business. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If you love where you were and love where you are, you are extremely lucky. And I consider myself lucky. So until next time, take care of one another and as always, thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. A few weeks ago, I interviewed Richmond Police Sergeant Michael Lewandoski about his firsthand experience with the riots in Richmond during the 2020 Summer of Love. After the interview, I noticed that his wife, Kelly, mentioned him in a few of her social media posts, so I got an idea and asked Ski if he thought Kelly would be interested in doing an episode about how she felt during that Spring and Summer. He said that he’d ask her and mentioned that in addition to her being a police officer’s spouse and having to watch all of the invective thrown at cops during the riots, she was a nurse and was dealing with being a health care worker during COVID as well. There was no way that I could pass up a chance to interview her, so here she is. As a programming note, in the interest of time, I stopped the interview at about the 45-minute mark, but don’t worry: a part two will be coming soon. After you listen, let me know what you think.  It angers me that some peple in the health care field actually post signs like, ‘The only good cop is a dead cop’ on their wall. I mean, really, really makes me mad. As I’m typing this, people in Texas are having to come to grips with a flash flood that killed dozens of people, including children at a summer camp. One of the news outlets reported that a pediatrician in Texas was fired because she posted on a social media page that the people who died got what they deserved because of how the majority of the state voted in the 2024 election. The audacity, ignorance, stupidity, and wickedness of people still astound me. But don’t worry, I have faith that part two will bring some much-needed positivity to the world.  So, until next time, take care of one another, and as always, thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I'm Jamie Baynes. Johnnie and El-Amin are back to discuss their views on men's mental health. June is Men's Mental Health Awareness Month and since the discussions that I have with Johnnie and El-Amin focus on men's issues, we all thought that this topic would be great for discussion and, as usual with Johnnie and El-Amin, it was. We really had a great time discussing mental health and I hope you enjoy the conversation as well. What are your views on mental health in general and on men's mental health in particular? Do you think that there's a difference between men's mental health and women's mental health? Should there be different strategies between the genders or is there a one-size-fits all for everyone? Do you think that people from different generations handle mental health differently? There are always going to be  a ton of questions about mental health and I'm always in favor of talking about them. If any listeners out there would like to do an episode about mental health, reach out to me and we'll make it happen.  Until next time, take care of one another and take care of yourself. And as always, thanks for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast, I'm Jamie Baynes. This episode's guest is Richmond police sergeant Michael Lewandowski, also affectionately known as Ski. Ski and I worked Patrol in 1st Precinct back in the late 90's. Recently I posted about how people compare the day-long riot on January 6th with the months long riots in the Spring and Summer of 2020. Ski posted his account of being at ground zero when the Richmond riots kicked off, then added more to his experiences on the recent anniversary of those riots. Since the aftermath of that Spring and Summer still linger with me, I reached out to Ski to see if he'd be willing to talk to me about his experiences. He agreed and here he is. I hope you enjoy the episode. And as you're listening, make note of Ski's voice when he mentions how members of the Chesterfield Police Department came in on that first night to help out. It's very telling, then let me know what you think about the episode.  I know some don't agree with me and probably will never agree with me about my views on January 6th and the riots in 2020. But to be honest, I could care less. My experiences were my own and I wasn't exposed to anywhere near the danger that Ski and the rest of the brave men and women of the Richmond Police Department, the Henrico Police Department, the Virginia Commonwealth University Police Department, the Chesterfield Police Department and the Virginia State Police faced. I obviously can't speak for all the officers who were subjected to the physical and verbal abuse from multiple sources, but it still affects me to this day and probably always will. I want to thank Ski for coming on the podcast and reliving such a horrible time in Richmond's history. Thanks for listening. The photos in this episode were provided by Ski.

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. A few years ago, I joined NetGalley, a website that has a library of books that haven’t been released yet. Some books are by well known authors and others are by new authors. I was looking through the titles and saw a book cover with the title Dead Safe and a really cool, eye-catching cover. I read the description of the novel and found that it was about an LAPD detective named Casey Stafford and the author was George Prior. I downloaded the book and finished it in three days. It was fantastic. A week or so after I finished it, I got an email from George reminding me to post a review. I replied and told him that I would, and also asked if he’d like to be a guest on an episode. He agreed and here he is. I hope you enjoy our conversation. After you listen, let me know what you think. Personally I truly enjoyed talking to him. He’s so down to earth and on more than one occasion, he turned the tables and mentioned my website and my novels. I’m flattered when guests do that, but it makes me a little uncomfortable as well because my podcasts are about my guests and the impact that they have on my listeners, not necessarily me. That being said, after talking to George for less than two minutes, I felt as if I’d known him for years and the conversation was easy. That, I think, is the gift of a great person and a great writer. Make sure you check out both of George’s books, 78 Degrees and Bloody, the debut novel, then Dead Safe. You can find his books on Amazon and on his website, which I’ll link to below. Hopefully after he publishes his next book, he’ll come on again and we can talk some more. So until next time, take care of one another, and as always, thanks for listening. Check out George's website here ⬇️⬇️⬇️  https://georgeprior.com/

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. For this episode I’ve brought back two of my favorite people, El-Amin and Johnnie Calloway, Sr. I wanted to get their take on what it means to be men in today’s world. The point is not to say that men are better than women, nor is it to judge anyone. I wanted honest opinions from two people that I admire and respect and not surprisingly, that’s exactly what I got from Johnnie and El-Amin. As you’ll hear, they differ on some of their opinions, but they do so respectfully. Also, some listeners may get offended at the language, so listener discretion is advised. But enough of me describing what’s to come. Let’s jump right into, then let me know what you think.  Do you agree or disagree with Johnnie’s and El-Amin’s opinions? Did the interview make you angry or make you think differently? The goal of this podcast is to increase positivity and to give people a place to express their opinions without any judgement or censorship. And I intend to keep doing this for as long as I can. Stay tuned for an episode with two women discussing their reaction to this episode and their opinions on what it means to be women in today’s world.  So, until next time, take care of one another and even if you don’t agree with someone’s opinion, treat them with the respect that they deserve and expect the same from them.