As writers we are all storytellers but how can we develop our storytelling to make us better writers? Today I'nm chatting to Brian Fox Ellis about this very subject. Jam packed full of helpful hints and tips for every writer.
As writers we are all storytellers but how can we develop our storytelling to make us better writers? Today I'nm chatting to Brian Fox Ellis about this very subject. Jam packed full of helpful hints and tips for every writer.
Hi, and welcome to the writing and Marketing Show brought to you by author Wendy H. Jones. This show does exactly what it says on the tin. It's jam packed with interviews, advice, hints, tips and news to help you with the business of writing. It's all wrapped up in one likely podcast. So it's time to get on with the show. And welcome to Episode 65 of the writing and Marketing Show with author entrepreneur Wendy H. Jones. As always, it's a pleasure to have you here with me today. And I'm very excited about today's show, because I'm going to be interviewing storyteller Brian Fox Ellis, and we're going to be talking about storytelling for writers, which I think is a fabulous topic to cover and not one we've done before. And so what's been happening in the bazaars? Well, as I record this, I've just discovered that Scotland is going into lockdown for another three weeks. But you know what, as I always say, There's no use getting worked up about it, because it's happening. And it's for our safety. And I will just do what I'm told again for the next three weeks. But it does mean that I can carry on doing these shows, and I can spend time doing them, which is always fantastic. What's happening in the world of publishing? Well, everything just trickles on the same really. We're bringing out books we're writing books on, we're reading books, and I've read some cracking books recently. And I want to give you an update on one of the guests that I had on talking about her writing career and how she became an author. And that is the author of Isabella, smooth. And the book is actually called the Diary of Isabella M. Smugge, and the author is Ruth Leigh and Isabella hit the streets last Monday. And I have to say, I've got my hands on a copy. Although it did come here by tortoise. The thing is, it took forever to get to the wilds of Scotland. But Isabella is a brilliant book, The Diary of Isabella M. Smugge is a brilliant book, and I'm loving it. I'm absolutely loving it. So congratulations to one of our guests Ruth leigh on her debut novel coming out what's been happening in my life? Well, as I say, I've been inside, I broke for the hills today because I went and when I say broke for the hills, I went to the post office to post a couple of books out to someone who'd ordered author copies for someone's birthday, and they got some nice signed copies. If you want that, then you can get in touch with me. Wendy, Wendy h Jones comm and author copies will be winging their way to you. And also I went down in order to prescription and that was the excitement of my day. But I came back and I've been interviewing people since I got back for the podcast, which is amazing. It's also one month since the entrepreneur accelerator Academy opened its doors and is doing brilliantly, the students are loving it. And they are really learning a lot. We've had some cracking master classes, there's some good courses out there all about writing and the business of writing. So if you want to know more about writing in the business of writing and get support, you can join us at author printer accelerator Academy. And you can do it by going to Wendy H jones.com. And going to the writing and marketing page and my courses. And I love bringing you the show, as you know, but it does take time out of my week. And if you would like to support that time, as always, you can do it through patreon.com that'spatreon.com/wendyhJones. And you can do so for $3 a month, which is the price of a tea or coffee. And as we can't go out and have tea or coffee at the moment, it would be awesome if you spent that money on me. Or rather, it would be awesome if you supported me through Patreon. And you if you're enjoying the show, but you don't have to it's always free but it would be appreciated. So what of My guests today? Well, as I say I've got storyteller Brian Cox Ellis with me. Sorry, caught Brian Fox Alice. Let's get the name right Wendy. Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing today. And Brian is a storyteller. And not only is a storyteller, he's an internationally acclaimed author, storyteller, historian and naturalist. He's worked with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the Field Museum and dozens of other museums across the USA. Fox is a highly sought keynote speaker at regional and international conferences, including the international wetlands Conservation Trust, National Science Teachers Association Conference, and the North American prairie conservation conference. Fox is also the artistic director for prairie folklore theatre, a unique theatre company that celebrates ecology and history. Through original music musical theatre productions. He's the author of 16 books, including the critically acclaimed learning from the land teaching ecology through stories and activities, the award winning children's picture book at the web at dragon fly pond, and content area reading, writing, and storytelling. Many of his stories are also available on one of 12 CDs. He and his wife run a bed and breakfast in Bishop hills, Illinois. And it's called a twin flower in. So what an exciting chop and what an exciting opportunity for us here on the writing and Marketing Show. So without further ado, let's get on with the show and hear from Brian. And welcome, Brian. It's an absolute pleasure to have you on the show with me today.
Brian Fox Ellis:I'm thrilled to be here. Thanks for inviting me, Wendy.
Wendy Jones:Oh, it's great. Now with an accent like yours, we know you're in America. But where are you in America?
Brian Fox Ellis:Well, to be honest, I do not have an accent. I am from the Midwest, the Heartland. And according to 1950s, television and radio, I have the standard American accent. So everybody else has an accent and I'm, I'm a standard American English speaker.
Wendy Jones:Oh, well, there you go. Apparently the people in Inverness have the perfect English accent. I've never quite noticed that they sound like they've got a Scottish accent to me. But hey,
Brian Fox Ellis:I prefer a Scottish accent myself.
Wendy Jones:Anyway, it's an absolute pleasure to have you here today. And I'm so excited to have you on because we're going to be talking about storytelling. And storytelling is so important. It really is for everybody, not just for writers, but for everyone. And I love hearing stories being told, and I love telling them so I'm excited to have you on. But to be honest, we would all say we know what storytelling is. But if you asked 20 people, they would come up with a different definition. So I want to start with your definition.
Brian Fox Ellis:Well, it's funny, that sentence you just said is the standard answer at the National storytelling event? You know, yes. 20, storytellers. You got 20 answers. And and it's a great question to start with. Because, you know, storytelling is very versatile. And everybody tells stories. I like to tease audiences when I'm leading workshops. You know, if you think you're not a good storyteller, think about it this way. I asked how many have you ever told a story and not that many people raise their hand? And I say, how many of you ever did something went somewhere? How have you ever met somebody and the back of your head, you're kind of rehearsing how you're going to tell your friend about it. And then when you get to work, or school, or what have you, and you tell two or three different people, every time the story gets a little bit better, doesn't it? and storytelling does have lots of applications I've worked in in the corporate world training sales teams, I write museum exhibits, and I love writing the signage on the wall next to a great work of art. I have recently done a lot of video and documentary television production, which is all storytelling. But if you get to the core of your question, how do I define storytelling? At its core, it is to people like you and I right now, oral language, it's speaking and listening in person with a live audience. Because one of the most important elements of storytelling, is that dance back and forth. have me watching you responding to what I'm saying and adapting accordingly. Knowing when I can stretch it out. And when I should cut it off when a joke works and seeing that response. So you can play off of it. When they look bored or interested, then you can adapt or shorten or just be quiet.
Wendy Jones:Yeah, no, that's a great way of putting it because we all do we all tell stories, we just don't realise that we're doing it half the time. Yes, and no. And I know we we use storytelling in different contexts, because you've given an example there, you know, when you meet someone famous, and you tell your friends about it, and you embellish it. And we all do that, don't we? And you that is a story. But why is it an important concept or even tool for authors to use?
Brian Fox Ellis:Well, when I'm teaching writing workshops, um, one of the things I often say is tell it, then write it, tell it then write it. If you take time to talk about your ideas, to kind of flesh them out and hear yourself. And also to watch who you're talking to respond. You get a sense of what works and what doesn't work before you sit down to write. A lot of teachers have this problem I call the blank paper syndrome, where they tell their class B you know, elementary or primary school or college university graduate credit. Get out a piece of paper and write a story and people go I don't know what to write about. I don't know what to write about. But if you take time to talk and have a conversation and to think out loud, then writing becomes a whole lot easier. Another way to answer your question is to think about This way, how does the brain work? There's been lots of research that the narrative the personal narrative, is how we know ourselves, and how we know the world. And we actually have a couple of stories that we tell. And part of it is the cultural minju. The folk tales and fairy tales and creation myths are biblical stories, the stories of our people the stories from our great great grandmother, or the story that we heard as a kid from our Uncle Joe. But then we also have that very personal story that we tell ourselves, when we're looking in the mirror in the morning, we probably wouldn't share with anybody. And that personal story, that narrative is how we know the world and how we know our place in it. And so as a writer, taking the time to really refine your stories, and to try them out loud, I promise will make you a better writer. Of course, when you're sitting at a desk, sitting with your laptop, or, or piece of paper, and a pencil, you know, to think through the story in your head, and to hear yourself telling it as you're typing or writing will also make you a better writer.
Wendy Jones:Yeah. And I think you know, you're answering my next question, but we may be able to tease it out a little further. But how can developing a storytellers help us to develop as writers? Well,
Brian Fox Ellis:everyone knows the first half of this quote, that Albert Einstein said, imagination is more important than knowledge. What most people don't know is the second half of that quote. He said, Because knowledge tells us what was and imagination tells us what could be. Wow, taking the time to imagine taking the time to immerse yourself in classic folklore and literature. Think about how many novels how many movies, how many forms of entertainment, have borrowed from the classics. And so having a deeper knowledge about the world of literature, spending time listening to other storytellers going to storytelling events. And, and reading those classics gives you a greater amount of material to pull from, so that when you're creating your own original novels, or short stories, or poetry, you've got a richer soup of metaphor, you've got a richer, you know, cupboard filled of ingredients to put together your own recipes. And I realise it that during the pandemic, we've not been out at live events. And my career has taken a turn because of that, because I usually do three or 400 live performances every year, wow, five or seven a day, when I'm working at a college or elementary school. And then I'll go someplace else and do a library programme in the evening. But the really wonderful blessing of this time is there's been a real increase of storytelling online, that I've launched a podcast, including video podcast, I've also been invited to participate in performances in Ireland and Scotland and England, and in Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and, and Madrid, that if anybody listening to this goes online, and searches for live zoom storytelling, you can hear some of the world's best storytellers, in your laptop, in your earbuds on whatever device you have. And so I would really highly encourage all of your listeners to take time to listen to some of the best storytellers. And they could be people like myself, who label myself I self identify as a storyteller. But we also think about, you know, preachers and teachers and, and TEDx talks. And, you know, our favourite college professors or ministers. Lawyers are and politicians sometimes are great storytellers. And when you hear a good one, then search them out and spend time with them and take mental notes about how do they make this story work? What do they do to engage the audience? And how do they bring this story to life so that every time you hear a good story, you can be taking mental notes to improve your own storytelling skills?
Wendy Jones:No, no, that's great advice. Really, because, you know, we storytelling can help us to be better writers because you're it's clarifying your thoughts and things as well, you know, and the more you do it, the better writer you're going to be. You must be a phenomenal writer is all I can say with the amount of storytelling you do.
Brian Fox Ellis:Well, I don't know how good I am. But a prolific you know, I write about a dozen magazine articles a year and this year because of the pandemic. I took a lot of my performances, and I turned them into manuscripts, so I published 16 books this year.
Wendy Jones:Wow, that's seriously impressive. Myself wanted to develop their skills as a storyteller, where would they start?
Brian Fox Ellis:Well, as I just alluded to spend time at the feet of the Masters, you know, storytellers, when I was a kid, it was my Uncle Joe. And once I decided this was my my career path, he lived in Tennessee, I went down and spent a weekend on his front porch and just spending time listening, I was planning to do a more formal oral history interview, which is something else that I enjoyed doing and collecting stories in a more formal way with a list of questions and a tape recorder. And, and I asked my Uncle Joe, one question, and he literally spoke for four hours off that route. And I knew then that I that he was, you know, somebody, I used to joke that my Uncle Joe could talk about his socks, and make it engaging and funny. And then I saw Clint Eastwood use that line in his Academy Award winning movie about the female boxer. I'm forgetting the name of the movie now.
Wendy Jones:Oh, I know what when you mean, yeah,
Brian Fox Ellis:yeah, but it was really funny that he's borrowing a line from my Uncle Joe.
Wendy Jones:To save my hair.
Brian Fox Ellis:Um, I do know that in Scotland and throughout the British Isles, there are some wonderful weekend conferences and events, actually in Edinburgh is a world renowned storytelling centre. And they have a variety of online and in person storytelling workshops. I'm hoping to get invited there someday.
Wendy Jones:Storytelling centre. I've been there.
Brian Fox Ellis:Yeah, it looks like a great place.
Wendy Jones:Very good. Very, very good. Yeah. We love a good story in Scotland, that's for sure.
Brian Fox Ellis:Yes. Scotland, lucky for you, is one of the places on the planet where the traditional storyteller was honoured. And a lot of places modern media has erased the traditional art of storytelling, or at least made an effort, it's still there under under the surface. But in Scotland, the storytelling Centre in Edinburgh being proof of the pudding, that the traditional storyteller never disappeared, and therefore did not need to be revived. It's a living vital art.
Wendy Jones:Well, it's never disappeared in Scotland, because if we get together at parties or, you know, New Year or you go up into the Highlands and Islands and you're at a Keighley or stories are told, you know, it's it's just part of our history and part of our DNA really.
Brian Fox Ellis:And part of mine as well, like a lot of americans i do claim proudly a Scottish heritage as one line in my family tree.
Wendy Jones:Absolutely.
Brian Fox Ellis:Cherokee because a Scottish immigrant moved to the Appalachian Mountains before the Revolutionary War, and married a Cherokee and that's my great, great, great five great grandfather and grandmother.
Wendy Jones:So Wow, hey, this is this is really impressive. So you're Scottish? Really? You're not American? See, I knew that.
Brian Fox Ellis:My mother would disagree with my mother's side. I'm 100%. German. Okay, the groom's brothers and taught a graduate course in in Germany, where I took 25 American teachers on a tour of the fairy tale road. And when we got lost in the Black Forest with Hansel and Gretel we, we actually visited Rapunzel tower. And I told the Pied Piper of Hamelin, in Hamlin. And we went to this ruin castle, supposedly, where Snow White slept. And there just happened to be a wedding there that day that I tried to live,
Wendy Jones:you've led a very exciting life. So what are the various parts that make up an effective story?
Brian Fox Ellis:That's another great question. And if we had a few weeks, I might begin to answer it.
Wendy Jones:Well, this podcast can only be a certain length, otherwise, people's commutes will be over
Brian Fox Ellis:in a few sentences. Gosh, I think the most important part of a story isn't something that's easy to measure or put on paper. But this is where live in person storytelling really shines. It's engagement. And you know, as a writer, that when you're writing a murder mystery, what's most important is engaging your reader or listener in the in in the who done it or the what's going to happen next. And that that level of engagement I haven't talked about, it's almost like a hand reaches up out of the book grabs you by the shirt and pulls you in and won't let go. Or the kind of book that you read. And you know, two o'clock in the morning, you're telling yourself one more chapter one more chapter three and one more chapter, one more chapter. And so that is a difficult thing to measure. But you know it when you got it, and in a more kind of brass tacks, technical way, you know, having characters that you want to get to know better and we've all met them. imperson, but to create those characters on the page where there's just something that's warm and fuzzy off the bat, but also something kind of mysterious that you don't reveal right away. And so sometimes when I'm doing character sketches, I'll come up with a good idea and decide to save it for chapter four, or seven, or something. It's also a setting that is realistic. So you think about basic character setting and plot. So you have dynamic characters, and I do talk about 3d characters. So they're three dimensional, that they, you have good dialogue, you have a good description, but most important, they are dynamic, it's action that's really speaks. And then a setting that is multi sensory, that you can smell and hear, and it really surrounds and envelops you. And, and most people talk about story being about plot, and I would agree plot is important. But if you have dynamic characters, in a very realistic setting, even if it's fantasy, or sci fi, if you create a multi dimensional setting, then really cool stuff is going to happen. And so having that dynamic character in a lively setting, plot happens. But thinking about plot is one of my favourite lines from the poet, American poet, Wendell Berry, he talks about be like the fox and leave some tracks in the wrong direction.
Wendy Jones:Yeah.
Brian Fox Ellis:So in a nutshell, that's a that's a week long graduate course and 17 sentences,
Wendy Jones:I'm impressed that you've managed to deliver that, you know, 17 week curse in three seconds. For us. It's amazing. Your skills are outstanding, you can tell you're a storyteller. And I want to take it just a little bit further here. Because I, you know, I'm pushing the boundaries, I like to push the envelope, you know, what would be your top three tips for storytelling,
Brian Fox Ellis:practice, practice, practice all three in one, but I've been married for more than 30 years now. And when my wife and I first met, we used to go to storytelling festivals, when we were dating, and she was a really, she still is my favourite listener. But she was really good at helping me like, rehearse a rough draft. And so telling stories, finding a storytelling partner, it could be a spouse or friend, or it could be a fellow writer that you get together, maybe through zoom these days, but you get together over a cup of tea or coffee and, and you take turns telling each other stories. Also, you know, try it out in in audiences that you hope will be appreciative here in the United States, and I think it's similar in Scotland and Ireland, because I attended one on soon, there are local storytelling guilds. So there's organisations like a Writers Guild where you read aloud to each other. A storytellers guild is where you are just practising stories, in a supportive environment, where people are not allowed to criticise you and let you give them permission. They're just there to listen. And then you can ask questions, and they can answer your questions to help you refine it. So that kind of live in person practice, and eventually then warming up to to pain audiences, or volunteer opportunities when you first begin. I still work the senior centres, they don't pay very well. And I do volunteer occasionally. But it gives me a chance to try out material in front of a live audience. And, and I will say with the 16 books that I've published during COVID, almost all of them I have told those stories, literally 1000 times, tell it, then write it, tell it then write it Yeah. When I sat down at my laptop, I was literally doing a book a week. Because the stories had already been refined. They'd already been polished with my tongue before I put them on paper. So it's easier to to edit and rewrite the manuscripts.
Wendy Jones:Yeah, that does make a difference. So practice, definitely. And I'm not here to the guild. So I'm definitely going to look that up the story. I've written this down storytelling guilds. And I know my listeners will be googling as they were working on googling it while they're driving if they're still commute, but they'll be googling it when they can. So I know that you use a lot of nature in your stories. And I know a lot of cocktails are around nature as well. Why is nature's such an effective base for storytelling?
Brian Fox Ellis:another brilliant question. All of us are tribal people, you know, especially if you're Scottish or Cherokee, like like myself, but even if you know the Germanic tribes are African or Asian, that we all have this this tribal background in this deep connection to nature, even if we're a few generations removed. I was lucky enough to grow up in a large industrial city with a Nature Preserve quite literally in my backyard, we had a pet Fox, which is in part where my nickname comes from. We raised chickens had a pet raccoon and a pet squirrel. And we did a lot of camping, both of my parents were born on a farm. And though they were forced to move to the city when they were younger, it was reluctant. And so they made sure that we spend a lot of time camping, and even people who live in large cities, nature is all around us. in us, we are of it, it is of us. And therefore it's a great place to draw deep metaphors. I do a lot of writing about our relationship with the wild world, that we tend to separate ourselves. And think because I have an apartment and an automobile and I can turn on my air conditioner or my heater, depending on the season, that my food comes in a plastic wrapper, I'm somehow disconnected from nature. That is the illusion which is killing the planet and harming ourselves. When we realise that every breath Go ahead, breathe in. What you just breathe in was in a tree just a few hours ago that every breath according Walt Whitman, one of my favourite poets, every time I breathe in, I breathe the outside world into myself. having that connection to the wild world, not only makes us a healthier person, but healthier in relationships. And especially during the pandemic, they have found that people who are out hiking, who are birdwatching, doing whatever you do in nature, they tend to have better coping strategies, less stress, there was actually a study, I think it was it was done in England, but published recently in the United States, where the the variety of birds that you have in your urban neighbourhood, you can draw direct correlation to one's mental health.
Wendy Jones:Because I must be okay, because I've got all sorts of bugs that come to my garden, including our hand, because I've got I've got a stream at the end of my garden, and the hen sits on my garden shed and waits for a trout to go past and then dives in and steals it.
Brian Fox Ellis:Oh, I would love to see that.
Wendy Jones:My mental health must be awesome, because we got all sorts of birds here. S I had a couple of partri ge stroll through you're like, O, no, not Partridge, pheasant,
Brian Fox Ellis:So you can see yourself a bird watcher? Or is it more backyard garden bird watching?
Wendy Jones:No, this is my garden. This is I've got to say I've got a stream. I live at the end of a natural wildlife corridor. So you do tend to see a bit of wildlife despite the fact I'm in the, on the very edges of a city. So yeah, but I know what you mean that, you know, we are surrounded by nature, even if we're in an urban environment, and it does tend to lends itself to stories because it's exactly where nature is everywhere. And,
Brian Fox Ellis:and lots of metaphorical material, you know, you think about any great poet or or novelist. The more more you are aware of your world than the more metaphors you can create the Create clear images in your readers mind.
Wendy Jones:Well, absolutely. You just need to look at our most famous poet who we ctually celebrated yesterday, s we record this, Robert Burns, nd he used to be he was a armer. So he used nature for ll his poems and stories and verything. It was in verything, regardless of what e was writing about, you know, y love is like a red, red rose. ou know, everything was nature, t came down to nature.
Brian Fox Ellis:And, sadly, one of the things of COVID is I am almost every year at a burn supper and reciting some poetry or, or telling a Scottish folk tale and drinking some fine scotch.
Wendy Jones:Well, you could have come to ours on Saturday night, because we had one online.
Brian Fox Ellis:I wish I'd known
Wendy Jones:if I'd known I could have invited you. Anyway, we better move away from Robert Burns because I could talk bout him all night, and we aven't got all night. I want to ust take it slightly further as o how authors can use this in here as part of the talks when hey're giving talks on writing nd marketing and things. And I ctually use stories on my talks hen I do them. And I mean, one f the stories I tell is about nd I'm not going to go into the hole story here. I'm just going o tell you very briefly, but pparently we have jack the ipper buried in the police tation in Dundee. And we will eave it there you can look that p. Yeah. And there's a story hich I can use very effectively ecause I have crime. I write rime books, and I've used it a ot in my talks. So how could omeone develop stories when hey're giving talks on writing nd marketing? No pressure, of ourse.
Brian Fox Ellis:Um, well, I have two angles on that and I think when I when I'm doing corporate training or working with with The sales team. The first thing I encourage, which I've alluded to earlier, but let me spell it out a little more clearly, is to practice good listening. If you take the time to listen to your clients, even if you're the keynote speaker doing most of the talking, if you take time to listen to the other participants, before you step up on stage, then you know which stories to tell. And if you think about your programme, as a story, and not just reading us, your bullet points off your PowerPoint, but really having a couple of engaging stories. That's what brings people in an important part of my work. Because I am primarily a science and nature writer, is I do a lot of work training scientists to be better storytellers. And imagine going to a conference like one I did recently was the upper Mississippi River floodplain management conference. And it is literally a room of 300 engineers who are designing concrete retaining for floodplains and, and I'm trying to get them to think more about natural green solutions versus grey scapes. And if you stand up in front of them, your audience and you recite 10 facts, I promise you, by fact five or six, they're checking their phone, by fax seven or eight, they're asleep, or they're someplace else. But if you take those same 10 facts, and weave them with a little drama, a little humour, a little irony and suspense, and you weave those 10 facts into a narrative. Not only are people still awake and listening, but I promise you, they will remember those facts. Think about it this way. Do you remember what your third grade teacher said in 19? I won't ask. Do you remember stories you heard when you were a kid? Of course we all do.
Wendy Jones:Absolutely, yes.
Brian Fox Ellis:So if you have something important to say, put it in a story. And I'm a huge fan of Abraham Lincoln, one of my summer jobs is I do 60 performances in the courtroom or Lincoln practice court. He actually tried more than 200 State Supreme Court cases. And Lincoln was the master storyteller. And he knew that if he just stated facts and evidence, the audience may or may not agree with him. But stories change hearts and minds, stories, engage people emotionally and cognitively. So that they are not just with you. But stories are also the kind of glue to help your main point stick. The story is also what they will repeat. So if you're doing sales and marketing, and you have a couple of really good zingers, a couple of really good little stories, then your audience will go home and repeat those stories and become your advocate. They will become your ambassadors and part of your sales team. And so as much as you can, you know, think of the whole programme half hour, 45 minutes as one longer story. And think about each of your points as chapters within that novel as their own independent short stories that are, you know, kind of soundbite repeatable.
Wendy Jones:Yeah, no, you brought out some really good points. And I have to say, because, you know, there are stories within stories within stories in your books. And if you can tease them out, then it will make it much more interesting. And for your audience. Yeah, no, Excellent, thank you. You've been genuine. This has been amazing. I have enjoyed every single thing you've said. But all podcasts must come to an end at some point. And this is my final question, really. And I could talk to you forever, but we don't want people to, you know, say we've gone on for too long. So my last question is always where can my listeners find out more about you and your books and indeed your own podcast?
Brian Fox Ellis:Yeah, so Fox tails international is, is everything is branded, so foxtails international is my website, foxtails IMT calm. And foxtails international is my YouTube channel. And you can watch a lot of great storytelling there and begin to see both some classic folk lore. I also portray a number of historical characters. So one of my books series, I did 10 books this year called part of the series called history in person in which I portray people like Charles Darwin and Gregor Mendel and the western Explorer, Meriwether Lewis and john James Audubon, the French American bird artist. Edinboro is where he spent a fair amount of time and where his books were originally published.
Wendy Jones:Yeah, that's right.
Brian Fox Ellis:Yeah. Um, and so. foxtails international Is th the key to remember. But also a l my books are available on A azon and I did jump through the oops so they're available throug the the Scottish and European nion version of Amazon as well And if you buy the books on ine, that's great, thank you very much. But if you buy them from me, you get a link to the ideo of the performance the bo k is based on and the audio but ince I am not shipping ove seas readily, just send me a dr p me an email foxtails at Fox ales IMT and I'll send you the ink, though many of them are al eady posted on my my pod
Wendy Jones:Fantastic. What a generous offer what a nice man you are Brian, as well as an xcllent storyteller.
Brian Fox Ellis:I'd love to come back again. Maybe talk about Scottish folklore and mythology.
Wendy Jones:Oh, no, that would be brilliant. we'll have you back at some point to discuss that because I could talk to you forever. Because the storytelling just fascinates me. So well. Thank you very much for joining us. I know you're busy. I know you've been looking after your grandchildren as well today.
Brian Fox Ellis:You may have heard one in the background there.
Wendy Jones:No, didn't. But eve if we did, it doesn't matter. You always want to encou age children. They're just joi in
Brian Fox Ellis:joyfulness? Well, it's been a pleasure talking to you, Wendy. And I'm looking forward to to reading more of your material. I did spend some time the past few weeks. As I jokingly said before the podcast stalking you, because so many great stories and novels and magazine articles and your podcast I i binge listened to several of them the other day. And I'd encourage everyone listening to this to subscribe and listen to some of the others.
Wendy Jones:Yeah, well, thank you. And I certainly should be looking out for your books. Thank you once again and enjoy the rest of your day.
Brian Fox Ellis:Have a delightful day. Bye. Bye.
Wendy Jones:That brings us to the end of another show. It was really good to have you on the show with me today. I'm Wendy h Jones. And you can find me at Wendy H jones.com. You can also find me on Patreon where you can support me for as little as $3 a month which is less than the price of a tea or coffee. You go to patreon.com forward slash Wendy h Jones. I'm also Wendy h Jones on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Thank you for joining me today and I hope you found it both useful and interesting. Join me next week when I will have another cracking guest for you. Until then, have a good week and keep writing. Keep reading and keep learning