What happens when an FBI insider turns his real-world counterintelligence experience into gripping espionage fiction? In this episode of In Conversation, Terry Shepherd sits down with former attorney and investigator Steven L. Conley to explore his thrilling new novel, False Flag. Inspired by the actual twenty-year hunt for a Chinese mole inside the Bureau, this discussion pulls back the curtain on the grueling psychological and bureaucratic realities of national security work.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• 🕵️‍♂️ The Anatomy of a Mole Hunt: How a real-world double-agent operation inspired a fictional narrative about institutional trust fossilizing into catastrophic betrayal.
• ⚖️ The Labyrinth of Process: The frustrating gap between what an investigator knows and what the law permits them to prove, including the legal hurdles of FISA warrants and the threat of "graymail".
• 👀 The Cost of High Alertness: How counterintelligence training fundamentally alters an agent's perception, transforming everyday encounters into potential threats and making ordinary life feel staged.
• ✍️ The Operative as Storyteller: The cathartic process of deconstructing plot and motive to write a book that examines the heavy toll of keeping secrets from spouses, children, and friends.

About the Guest

Steven L. Conley entered the FBI by way of law school, international law, and a formative internship handling ship registries in Malta. Having lived inside the deep bureaucracy of secrecy, he brings unmatched institutional memory to his writing. False Flag is his gripping debut in espionage fiction, balancing the mechanics of classic spy thrillers with profound psychological depth.

About Terry Shepherd

Terry Shepherd is an author and the host of the In Conversation podcast series. Through deep-dive interviews with leading creators, Terry explores the shared commonalities of craft, motive, and storytelling that connect authors with their readers.

Links & Resources

• Buy the Book: [Insert Purchase Link for False Flag]
• Author Website: [Insert Steven L. Conley's Website Link]
• Connect with the Host: [Insert Terry Shepherd's Official Website Link]
• Listen & Subscribe: [Insert Podcast Platform/Buzzsprout Links]

We all inevitably become the brand. And that's why I wrote, "How to Become a Dynamic Podcast Guest and Sell Stuff." It's a sweet and short primer that teaches you about the gear, the appearance and the messaging that can grab and hold today's micro-attention spans and motivate your listeners to take action. It's Just a dollar ninety nine at Amazon. Grab your copy today and sell mo

Join host Terry Shepherd for an engaging conversation with award-winning mystery author Margaret Mizushima. In this episode, they dive deep into Dying Cry, the thrilling 10th installment of the internationally published Timber Creek Canine Mysteries. Margaret shares her creative process, the real-world research behind her authentic K-9 characters, and what is next for Deputy Maddie Walker and her canine partner, Robo.

What You'll Hear in This Episode

• The World of Dying Cry: Discover how a snowy family snowshoe outing for newlyweds Maddie and Cole Walker turns deadly. A scream cuts through the canyon, leading Maddie and Robo to witness a shadowy figure vanish beneath a deadly rockslide.
• Real-World Inspiration: Margaret explains how her retired veterinarian husband helps her brainstorm plotlines. Together, they developed a storyline centered around a veterinary drug known as "tranq," which is abused by addicts and drug experimenters.
• Building Robo: Learn how Margaret's lifelong observation of dogs and her shadowing of a retired K-9 handler helped bring her beloved German shepherd character to life. Robo was purchased by the Timber Creek community to detect drugs and serve as a well-socialized partner in local schools.
• Hands-On Research: Hear about Margaret's fascinating trip to a Las Vegas police dog trial to observe K-9 behaviors, such as how officers command their dogs to release a bite sleeve.
• Future Projects: Get a sneak peek into her upcoming fall release, Fighting Edge, which tackles the serious issue of teenage labor trafficking. Margaret also shares that she is currently writing book 12, which focuses on vulnerable elderly people.

About the Guest

Margaret Mizushima is a retired speech therapist who grew up on a Colorado cattle ranch. She spent 15 years working toward publication, writing five manuscripts before her debut novel, Killing Trail, was finally picked up by Crooked Lane Books. Today, her work has earned honors from the Colorado Authors League, the Independent Book Publishers Association, and Women Writing the West.

Fans love her series because of the lovable K-9 Robo, the fairly clean language, and her depiction of a supportive, competent police department.

Books Discussed

Book Title | Release Info | Plot HighlightsDying Cry | Book 10, released October 2025 | A deadly rockslide, greed, and the abuse of a veterinary drug called "tranq"
Fighting Edge | Upcoming fall release | Focuses on the domestic and international labor trafficking of vulnerable teenagers
Killing Trail | Book 1, released 2015 | The debut novel that launched the Timber Creek series

Connect with Margaret: Visit her official website at margaretmizushima.com to explore her work.

We all inevitably become the brand. And that's why I wrote, "How to Become a Dynamic Podcast Guest and Sell Stuff." It's a sweet and short primer that teaches you about the gear, the appearance and the messaging that can grab and hold today's micro-attention spans and motivate your listeners to take action. It's Just a dollar ninety nine at Amazon. Grab your copy today and sell mo

When the stable foundation of your life suddenly shifts, what do you do with the time you have left? Join host Terry Shepherd on In Conversation as he sits down with Dara Levan, the award-winning author, podcaster, and speech-language pathologist, to discuss her beautifully poignant new novel, Shaken to the Core. Together, they dive into a deeply moving story about grief, transformation, and the profound ways love and "framily" can reshape our worldview when we least expect it.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• 📸 Finding a Voice Behind the Lens: How the protagonist, Joy, uses photography as a protective comfort zone until life’s sudden detours force her to step out from behind the camera and reclaim her voice.
• 📖 The Legacy of a Camp Diary: The evocative role of a 1980s sleepaway camp journal as a portal to understanding a mother's youth, sparking an unexpected professional metamorphosis.
• 🌈 Choosing Joy Through Grief: Dara shares her personal experiences with otherworldly "visits," symbols like rainbows and ladybugs, and the conscious decision to choose hope in the wake of profound loss.
• 🎙️ The Art of Listening: How hosting her own podcast, Every Soul Has a Story, and her background in speech pathology have deepened her empathy and expanded her worldview.

About the Guest

Dara Levan is an author, speaker, speech-language pathologist, and the founder of Every Soul Has a Story, a global platform dedicated to sharing the experiences that shape us. She is the author of It Could Be Worse, a contributor to the USA Today best-selling anthology On Being Jewish Now, and her latest novel, Shaken to the Core, has been recognized as a Zibby’s Summer Read and recommended in People Magazine.

About Terry Shepherd

Terry Shepherd is the author of the Jessica Ramirez thriller series and the host of In Conversation, where he welcomes world-class authors, creatives, and cultural figures for deep, insightful discussions about their craft and life journeys.

Links & Resources

• Visit the Author’s Website: DaraLevan.com
• Buy the Book: [Shaken to the Core on Amazon/Bookshop]
• Listen to Dara's Podcast: [Every Soul Has a Story]
• Connect with the Host: [TerryShepherd.com]

We all inevitably become the brand. And that's why I wrote, "How to Become a Dynamic Podcast Guest and Sell Stuff." It's a sweet and short primer that teaches you about the gear, the appearance and the messaging that can grab and hold today's micro-attention spans and motivate your listeners to take action. It's Just a dollar ninety nine at Amazon. Grab your copy today and sell mo