Nov. 23, 2025
Unraveling Dissension: Rodney Phillips on Conflict, Communication, and Character Growth
Send us a text In this thought-provoking episode of Living the Dream with Curveball, we are joined by author Rodney Phillips, who delves into the complexities of human conflict and communication through his debut novel, "Dissension: A Disagreement that Leads to Discord." Rodney shares his journey from writing his book in childhood to its recent publication, discussing the powerful themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the moral dilemmas faced by his characters. Set against the backdrop of rival dr...
In this thought-provoking episode of Living the Dream with Curveball, we are joined by author Rodney Phillips, who delves into the complexities of human conflict and communication through his debut novel, "Dissension: A Disagreement that Leads to Discord." Rodney shares his journey from writing his book in childhood to its recent publication, discussing the powerful themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the moral dilemmas faced by his characters. Set against the backdrop of rival drug cartels, the story follows a young woman caught in the crossfire, highlighting the importance of communication amidst chaos. Rodney reflects on his experiences coaching youth sports and how they influenced his writing, emphasizing the significance of teamwork and resilience. Join us for an engaging conversation that inspires listeners to pursue their dreams, no matter how long they may be on hold. Discover more about Rodney and his work at www.rodneyphillipsauthor.com and get ready for his upcoming sequel!
WEBVTT
00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:51.100
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Welcome to the Living the Dream podcast with Curveball. if you believe you can achieve. Welcome to the Living the Dream with Curveball podcast, a show where I interview guests that, teach, motivate and inspire. Today I am joined by author Rodney Phillips. Rodney is the author of Dissension. He was born in Pittsburgh and he basically is going to be talking about how dissension can. You know, we think there are a lot of things in life that can cause breakdown, and communication or breakdown in morality or society.
00:00:51.100 --> 00:00:57.920
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>But he talks about how he feels that dissension is one of the main things that can cause this issue.
00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:06.120
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>So we're going to be talking to Rodney about his book and everything that he's up to and going to be up to. So, Rodney, thank you so much for joining me.
00:01:06.920 --> 00:01:12.530
> Rodney Phillips>Thank you, Curtis, for having me. it's a pleasure to be on your show and I really appreciate it.
00:01:12.670 --> 00:02:12.189
> Rodney Phillips>as Curtis said, I'm the new author of Dissension, A Disagreement that Leads to Discord. it's about a young lady that's going to college in my university in Miami. It's set in Pittsburgh and Miami, and, she's studying criminal law. She gets caught between a war that breaks out between two rival drug cartels and, as you'll find out through, through the book, why they specifically start targeting her. And, she has a huge, growth arc. So basically I have two strong female characters. My main character and my main FBI agent are caught in the middle of a male dominated, war. and what ends up happening is the name of the book is Dissension, A disagreement that leads to discord. And these cartels were at peace. And then something happens to trigger that and the conflict, then, you know, arises and grows from there.
00:02:13.550 --> 00:02:17.639
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, why don't you tell everybody a little bit about yourself so we can get to know you.
00:02:17.960 --> 00:03:41.349
> Rodney Phillips>Yeah, sounds great. So I am Rodney Phillips. I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And, have lived here my whole life. I am currently a oncology, pharmaceutical representative, which I've done for well over 20 years. I also, coached youth football and youth girls and youth boys Lacrosse for over 20 years. And it's funny with this book is I started writing it when I was 19 years old and on, notebooks and postcards. And it sat in my office file cabinet for 37 years until both my children went to college and I wasn't coaching anymore. And my wife said, you're, you're driving me crazy on the weekends. Can you find something to do. And I said, well, maybe I'll pull my book out and see what I have. And I started carving out time on Saturday and Sunday mornings and having a coffee and basically having an appointment with my book. And, and then, you know, it ended up, getting published, here about four weeks ago or so. And, looking forward to the sequel as well. So the publisher had me start the sequel in April. So I've been working on that, as well for the last, like, you know, six months or so.
00:03:42.949 --> 00:03:47.620
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, what are you most proud of, with the characters in your book?
00:03:48.500 --> 00:04:53.689
> Rodney Phillips>Yes. So that's a great question, Curtis. I feel like what, ah. One of the things that I'm most proud of is I had mentioned, you know, that I have two strong female characters. I have a daughter and I have a son. And I believe in, you know, strong females and them being able to, handle themselves. And, that's what I tried to create with, with those characters, in specific. so that's probably what I'm most proud of. The other thing that's been interesting is I've done an. A multitude of book clubs over the last couple weeks where they invited me as the author to come in and talk, talk to the book clubs. And the passion that they have about the characters that I created was inspiring. Like, I, you know, obviously I, you know, created these characters and I like them and I, you know, have a lot invested in them. But to hear other people that are reading the book and how they're really invested in some of the characters was really cool to see.
00:04:56.410 --> 00:05:05.860
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, I know the story starts with a disagreement that spirals out of control. So why do you think that people, are drawn to stories of power and downfall?
00:05:07.620 --> 00:05:11.220
> Rodney Phillips>Yeah, I think m, in my opinion, really conflict.
00:05:12.300 --> 00:05:50.009
> Rodney Phillips>it doesn't really destroy the connection, but it escalates. It escalates it, if you will. and I think people are drawn to that because that's real life, right? You have disagreements. You have, you know, discussions that don't go the way that you feel like they should have went. And I feel like it's. It's you know, human nature, you know, we're not, in my opinion, you know, nobody's 100%, positive all the time. Right. You're going to have some disagreements, but I think communication then becomes the key to that, you know. And, if you're able to communicate, then you can move forward.
00:05:50.649 --> 00:05:59.449
> Rodney Phillips>Where in this particular case, between, you know, the leaders of these cartels, they just lost communication and, you know, it escalated.
00:06:01.930 --> 00:06:10.649
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, loyalty, loyalty and deception seem to run so side by side in your book. So how did you manage to balance that between your characters?
00:06:11.529 --> 00:06:14.649
> Rodney Phillips>Yeah, so that's a. That's a good question, Curtis.
00:06:15.209 --> 00:07:02.759
> Rodney Phillips>I, think, what I tried to do with balancing the loyalty is, you know, creating characters that had flaws, but they also were loyal to, you know, certain other characters in. In the book. So I felt like that was a key concept of keeping these, you know, because you have two cartels, right, that, they're loyal to each other. And I think loyalty keeps that, authority in place, if you will, and make sure that they're moving in lockstep. so I think that portion of it, you know, was my mindset going into writing about the cartels was that they had that loyalty on both.
00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:57.350
> Rodney Phillips>Both sides. And then as far as my main character's loyalty, she was born, you know, she was born that way. She played sports, you know, growing up, and, really had loyalty to her family, loyalty to her friends. and that's one of the key characteristics that she displays is loyalty. and then, like I said, I tried to make sure that every character had flaws as well, you know, so you'll see that as you read through the book, and different flaws that you pick up with with the different characters. But I think that loyalty concept as the backbone, really helped to drive then the disagreement, you know, or. Or, the dissension, if you will, that happened, because then they just, dug their heels in and stayed loyal to where they were at, if that makes sense.
00:07:59.350 --> 00:08:00.310
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Absolutely.
00:08:00.949 --> 00:08:10.230
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>So when you write a book of crime and conflict, do you have an ending in mind or do you let the story bring you. Take its course and bring you to the ending?
00:08:11.029 --> 00:09:02.370
> Rodney Phillips>Yes. So that, that, is interesting that you bring that up, because I was just talking about that, at a book club recently, and I had a good amount of the book already written. So I would say, probably, let's call it 80% of the book was handwritten. And then I ended up typing it into the computer, and then I wrote from there. So then that back end, really, I let the story flow. I had a certain idea of where I wanted to get to, and I had an outline and things of that nature. But I really let my thought process and the flow of the characters and the dialogue and the interactions that the characters had, I let that really create, the flow of the back end of the story.
00:09:05.299 --> 00:09:13.250
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, what made you want to dive into the, human flaws of, ah, Betrayal, pride and moral conflict.
00:09:14.610 --> 00:09:20.129
> Rodney Phillips>You know, I, I think it's a little bit of. Of what we talked about. You know, it's human nature.
00:09:20.129 --> 00:09:49.299
> Rodney Phillips>Right. You're. You're not always going to have harmony. you know, there is going to be conflict or disagreements or, you know, things that you don't understand. And, And I feel like those are emotions that we go through a lot as humans. And you know, our interactions with friends and family and colleagues, they're not always going to be positive. Right? You are going to have a lot of positive, and majority of the time it is positive.
00:09:49.539 --> 00:10:20.519
> Rodney Phillips>But you are going to have those, disagreements from time to time. And I think, you know, like I said at the beginning, is communication, I think then becomes the, the root of that. You know, if you look at like, marriages, for example, I think in my opinion, communication is probably one of the biggest keys that, people keep people together for a long period of time. Because I feel like when you stop communicating, then, you know, the people give up, if you will.
00:10:23.149 --> 00:10:32.269
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, let's talk about. You know, your title says a lot. So explain what dissension means to you as a writer and as a person.
00:10:33.789 --> 00:11:02.419
> Rodney Phillips>Yes. So, in the title, a disagreement that leads to discord is actually the, you know, the definition of dissension. And I wanted that on. On the title, specifically because of. Of, you know, these two cartels were at peace for a long period of time. And then m. You know, something happens in the book that triggers, the questioning of that. That piece. And as you, you know, roll through the book, you'll find out like, why that.
00:11:02.419 --> 00:11:19.830
> Rodney Phillips>That triggered it. And then they, you know, unfortunately, then, you know, become, you know, more criminal, more violent. they start hunting my, main character, Kylie. She doesn't know why she's caught in the middle of this. This conflict.
00:11:20.299 --> 00:11:28.570
> Rodney Phillips>and then you'll, you know, there's a couple twists that go with the book and you find out why specifically they started to target her. but she.
00:11:28.649 --> 00:11:52.269
> Rodney Phillips>She is a huge arc curve to her growth is, you know, she's a normal college student, you know, going to school. And then all of a sudden she's fighting for her life, you know, and she's on the run. And, you know, so she has a huge arc to her, growth because she has to grow up very quickly in a very short period of time.
00:11:54.909 --> 00:12:02.990
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, talk about in your book how you keep realism and suspense balanced without it turning sensational or even predictable.
00:12:04.350 --> 00:12:43.879
> Rodney Phillips>Yeah. So, what I tried to do there is. Is I have a lot of short chapters that kind of keep the flow of the book moving. So, you know, there's a lot going on, obviously in the book, because I have two cartels, then I have my main character, and then I have the FBI. So how I tried to write the book is one chapter will be on one cartel. The next chapter is on the other cartel. Then the next chapter's on. On my main character. The next chapter is on what's happening with the FBI. And then in each chapter, I tried to leave the reader, you know, thinking of what is happening. Right.
00:12:43.879 --> 00:14:04.950
> Rodney Phillips>And then as the chapters alternate, then they all come together at the end. But that suspense of building that story up and you see what's happening on one side of the coin, what's happening on the other side, and then how my main character is caught in that middle. And then also you have the storyline of the FBI trying to figure out, you know, what is going on. So I think that back and forth and, and putting in short chapters that just keep the reader interested in that subplot and what's happening with those certain characters keeps, the. The story moving fairly quickly. I've got a lot of positive feedback about the short chapters and also the pace, you know, of the book. And I had a couple ladies, tell me last week that, you know, they would be reading the book, they'd look and then say, oh, well, this next chapter is only three pages. I'll stay up for three pages. And then they were 28 pages later and they were still up reading. So, that was kind of interesting to hear that it kept them, you know, interested, that they couldn't go to sleep, you know. So, I think that's probably one of the biggest things is creating that suspense in kind of each chapter. But, you know, know, something that the reader is thinking about, you know, as.
00:14:04.950 --> 00:14:06.029
> Rodney Phillips>As it moved forward.
00:14:08.590 --> 00:14:15.070
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, besides your upcoming sequel, tell us about any other upcoming projects that you're working on that people need to be aware of.
00:14:15.789 --> 00:14:30.340
> Rodney Phillips>Yeah, so I actually am working on, two upcoming, books. One is the sequel, which, it's going to be called Dissension the Co Op. And, the. The third book is actually going to be called the Beginning.
00:14:30.740 --> 00:15:23.639
> Rodney Phillips>And it's going to take us back to when, Papa Juan and El Senor are the heads of the cartel. And my main character is a teenager, so it'll take you back, back in time. So I'm actually, working on them, together, this, the third book the, the beginning, I'm kind of in the outline stage and putting in notes and you know, as things go along that come to my mind as I'm writing the second book. so those are the two things that I'm working on there. And then, you know, I still am involved heavily in the community with different projects and help with different charities and then also kind of do I guess, consulting if you will, and in a couple like coaching, aspects. but I'm not coaching really full time at this point.
00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:31.080
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Okay, well, so listeners can keep up with everything that you're up to. Throw out your contact info.
00:15:32.120 --> 00:16:14.220
> Rodney Phillips>Yeah, so you could find me on Rodney Phillips, author.com and you'd be able to, you know, find some information there. And then, you know, feel free to email me. It's rphilips66yahoo.com and obviously with me being from Pittsburgh 66 is Mario Lemieux Shout Out. So, you could feel free to email me or you know, jump onto the website. as Curtis had mentioned, the book is, you know, available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Play. the audio will be at sometime next week as well. It's out right now in paperback and ebook.
00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:21.539
> Rodney Phillips>but yeah, feel free to touch base with me. I would love to interact with with some of your listeners.
00:16:23.620 --> 00:16:30.580
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, I know you kind of mentioned your coaching career. Do you want to touch on that, expand on that in any way?
00:16:31.149 --> 00:18:28.390
> Rodney Phillips>Yeah, so I, coaching. For a long time I coached defensive, football and I was a defensive coordinator in youth football really up until the kids went to high school. so I really love coaching because you know, you really can help young people, you know, create confidence and leadership and, and things of that nature and learn to work together as a team. And one of the things that I would always say to the kids is if you're coachable, then you're employable because a lot of the things that you learn in organized sports translate into a career or a job that you would get into, because you're always constantly working with teammates, or colleagues. and you need to learn to work together. And like you said, sometimes, you know, you don't always see eye to eye, but you have to find a way to communicate and fig. Figure it out. And that's a lot, you know, in a team aspect as well. And then I also coach boys and girls lacrosse. And really when I first, first started coaching those, I was a football coach that learned, learned Lacrosse. Right. You know, so, that was interesting at first because the girls rule book is probably four times larger than the boys, rule book for lacrosse. so that. That was really interesting. And with the girls, I tried to use a lot of quotes with, you know, strong, females, like Estee Lauder and others to motivate them and, you know, obviously, you know, help them overcome, leadership or, you know, any competitive issues that they might have and working together and, you know, being nervous because sometimes what I found is, you know, a lot of. A lot of young kids are nervous, right? You know, and in football they're nervous to tackle.
00:18:28.390 --> 00:19:03.150
> Rodney Phillips>And then once they, you know, you teach them the proper tacking technique and they understand, you know, how to tackle, then you can see their confidence grow, you know, very quickly. But. But they all have nerves up front, you know, so. So I really enjoyed coaching a lot and did it for a long period of time and, and. And miss it, you know, but. But I wouldn't have this book if, If I was still coaching because, you know, my wife is like, you have to find something to do on the weekends because now that you're not coaching.
00:19:03.509 --> 00:19:07.640
> Rodney Phillips>And, and I ended up pulling the book out and, and write it, you know. So.
00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:12.000
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>We'Ll close this out with some final thoughts.
00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:17.480
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Maybe if that was something I forgot to talk about, that you would like to touch on any final thoughts you have for the listeners.
00:19:18.359 --> 00:20:31.569
> Rodney Phillips>Yeah, I think the only final thought that I would have is, you know, it's never too late to pursue a dream. Right. You know, I started. I started writing this book at 19 years old. It sat in my file cabinet for 37 years in notebooks. And then, you know, have a conversation with my wife to find something to do since I wasn't coaching sports, anymore. And, you know, I pulled it out and finished a dream that I had when I was a teenager, you know, so, and became a published author, you know, so I. I feel like that's probably the thing that I'm, most proud of is, you know, I didn't forget about my dream, if you will. You know, and I. And I pursued what I wanted to get into. And, you know, I have probably six to eight years before I retire from my. My job, but I would love to do this in retirement. You know, I have, like I said, a couple ideas that I'm working on for. For some other books that are in this series, and then I have a couple other ideas of, you know, different stories that I. That I would like to work on as well, too. So I would love to, you know, continue my writing journey when I, you know, retire.
00:20:33.809 --> 00:20:44.029
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>All right, ladies and gentlemen, please be sure to check out the book and everything Robert's up to or Rodney's up to. I know once, the audio comes out, I'm definitely going to check it out.
00:20:44.029 --> 00:21:12.250
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Rodneyphillipsauthor.com Follow Rate Review Share this episode to as many people as possible. Follow us on your favorite podcast platform and for suggestions and feedback. Or if you know someone or you yourself would like to become a guest on the Living the Dream with curveball podcast, visit www.craveball337.com. Thank you for listening and supporting the show. And Rodney, thank you for joining me.
00:21:12.569 --> 00:21:18.119
> Rodney Phillips>Yeah, thanks for having me, Curtis. This was great. And, it's really nice to get to know you as well, bud.
00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:31.799
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>For more information on the Living the Dream with Curveball Podcast, visit www.craveball337.com until next time, keep Living the dream.
00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:51.100
00:00:51.100 --> 00:00:57.920
00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:06.120
00:01:06.920 --> 00:01:12.530
00:01:12.670 --> 00:02:12.189
00:02:13.550 --> 00:02:17.639
00:02:17.960 --> 00:03:41.349
00:03:42.949 --> 00:03:47.620
00:03:48.500 --> 00:04:53.689
00:04:56.410 --> 00:05:05.860
00:05:07.620 --> 00:05:11.220
00:05:12.300 --> 00:05:50.009
00:05:50.649 --> 00:05:59.449
00:06:01.930 --> 00:06:10.649
00:06:11.529 --> 00:06:14.649
00:06:15.209 --> 00:07:02.759
00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:57.350
00:07:59.350 --> 00:08:00.310
00:08:00.949 --> 00:08:10.230
00:08:11.029 --> 00:09:02.370
00:09:05.299 --> 00:09:13.250
00:09:14.610 --> 00:09:20.129
00:09:20.129 --> 00:09:49.299
00:09:49.539 --> 00:10:20.519
00:10:23.149 --> 00:10:32.269
00:10:33.789 --> 00:11:02.419
00:11:02.419 --> 00:11:19.830
00:11:20.299 --> 00:11:28.570
00:11:28.649 --> 00:11:52.269
00:11:54.909 --> 00:12:02.990
00:12:04.350 --> 00:12:43.879
00:12:43.879 --> 00:14:04.950
00:14:04.950 --> 00:14:06.029
00:14:08.590 --> 00:14:15.070
00:14:15.789 --> 00:14:30.340
00:14:30.740 --> 00:15:23.639
00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:31.080
00:15:32.120 --> 00:16:14.220
00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:21.539
00:16:23.620 --> 00:16:30.580
00:16:31.149 --> 00:18:28.390
00:18:28.390 --> 00:19:03.150
00:19:03.509 --> 00:19:07.640
00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:12.000
00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:17.480
00:19:18.359 --> 00:20:31.569
00:20:33.809 --> 00:20:44.029
00:20:44.029 --> 00:21:12.250
00:21:12.569 --> 00:21:18.119
00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:31.799