Episodes

Today’s guest is New York Times bestselling author, Peter Abrahams. I’ve been a reader of Peter’s novels for over twenty years and am thrilled that he agreed to be on the podcast. The interview was originally scheduled for a week prior, but a work issue came up and I asked Peter if he could reschedule. He gave me another date and that one fell though on my end as well. He patiently sent me a few more available dates and I was finally able to get it done. I think the fact that Peter, as I mention...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is Noemi from Creative Souls. I came across Noemi’s Instagram page and was instantly hooked on her positive message. And since that’s what this podcast is all about, I had to invite her to come on the show, so I sent her a message. She answered me right and away and we got it set up. I think she came up with a fantastic idea of collaborating with others to create something that just one person couldn’t create by themselves. Our world ...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is my friend and former RPD co-worker, Jose Cartegna. Jose was a Richmond Police officer for seven years and the last few of those years served as a detective in the Youth and Family Services Unit of the Major Crimes Division. Jose and I talk about how he came to Richmond from Connecticut to be a Richmond police officer, his time in Patrol, and the cases that he investigated while he was a detective. Jose was also on the Crowd Manageme...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is retired NYPD detective and bestselling author, Vic Ferrari. I’m a huge fan of independent authors and Vic’s books popped up on my Amazon recommendation page. His books looked interesting so I bought one. After I read about 20 pages, I bought ALL of his books. As you can clearly tell, I’m a big fan of Vic and his books. Vic writes like he talks and talks like he writes. Head on over to his Amazon page and check out his books. If you...

Today’s guest is Officer Brenda Ruiz, the inspiration for the The Giving Notes Project song written by Emily Roig. Brenda and I talk about how her life experience became the subject of Emily’s song, what major event led her down the path to becoming a police officer, and the challenges that she faced as a woman and Hispanic officer in the City of Richmond. I can’t tell you the amount of respect and admiration I have for her and the rest of the CMT officers who stood on the front line during the...

Today’s guest is Mark Brown, the founder of The Giving Notes Project. On a previous episode, I spoke with Emily Roig who is one of the musicians associated with the amazing group. She suggested that I talk to Mark for more information so I sent him an email and asked if he’d like to come on and talk about his creation. He readily agreed and here he is. If you follow the news, or politics or the majority of the entertainment industry (which I try to avoid at all costs), there’s so much ‘me, me, ...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is singer and songwriter, Emily Roig. Emily and I crossed paths when she tagged me in an Instagram post about a song she’d written about a Richmond police officer. I reached out to her and asked if she’d like to be a guest on an episode and she agreed, so here she is. I know I say it all the time when I interview singer-songwriters, but it always seems like what they do is magical. I mean, she interviewed Brenda Ruiz for an hour, then...

Today’s guest it Johnnie Calloway. Johnnie’s YouTube page showed up in my feed one day, so I checked him out. I was hooked after listening to him for probably less than two minutes. His contact information was on his page, so I emailed him and asked him if he’d like to be a guest on the podcast. He replied and wrote, “Positivity is contagious”, then he agreed to come on the show. So here he is. I hope you enjoy his episode. Once you finish with the episode, you have got to check out his YouTube...

Today’s guest is former Richmond Police dispatcher Demetria Ross. Ms. Ross was a dispatcher with the City of Richmond for fifteen years, and was a Petersburg dispatcher for four years before that. Ms. Ross and I talk about the incident that sent her down the dispatcher path, as well as various significant events that occurred while she was a Richmond dispatcher. Whenever I called communications and Ms Ross answered the phone, I knew I’d better come correct. Her voice instills respect and admira...

Today’s guest is Vee, from VeeTellsTales on Instagram. I came across Vee’s page and was immediately fascinated by the artwork on the cover on her books as well as her photos. I reached out to her to see if she’d be interested in doing a podcast episode and she agreed, so here she is. I’m always in awe of authors who manage to put together such a complex and wonderful universe in their mind, then transfer it to the written word. I can’t even imagine writing a novel with over 130,000 word count, ...

Today’s guest is musician Kari Smith. Kari writes, produces, and sings her own music. Oh yeah, she also plays the guitar, piano and is bilingual. Kari talks to me about growing up in Richmond, planning a trip to Austin, then winding up in Nashville for a decade. How many folks out there have the courage to pack everything up, move to another state and follow a dream? Kari’s got lots of guts and drive, and she’s not showing any signs of slowing down. Make sure you head over to her website to che...

Today’s guest is Bri Stokes, a poet I came across on Instagram. Bri’s page fascinated me because of the artwork that she uses as the background for her poetry. I reached out to her and asked if she’d be willing to come on the podcast and talk about the art, her poetry and her outlook on life. Luckily, she agreed and here she is. After you listen to our conversation, you have to go and check out her Instagram page; her poetry will amaze you. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: I am alw...

Today’s guests are Dr. Denise Gorondy Toderico and her husband, Ben Toderico. Denise is an equine veterinarian and Ben is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and former Richmond Police officer. Back in 2016, their lives changed drastically when Denise was struck by a car while on a run in Hanover County. The driver of the car didn’t stop to help, but a bicyclist did. With all the drama and negativity that we can be exposed to every day, it’s so easy to forget that positive energy e...

Today’s guest is Renee Richardson. Renee reached out to me and asked if she could come on the podcast and speak about the love she has for her husband, his recent death and how she’s coping with it. If you were given the opportunity and control to choose, would you choose quantity of life or quality of life? How would you make that decision? What would influence you? As a society, I think many of us have a hard time dealing with death and become uncomfortable in our conversations with someone ...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’me Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is author and retired NYPD captain Robert Bryan. I came across Robert’s name from an Amazon recommendation. There was this book series called Hairbag Nation that sounded interesting. I knew that hairbag was a term used by the NYPD back in the 70’s and 80’s, so I decided to see what Robert’s books were all about. I bought the first one, read about twenty pages, then bought the rest of the series. Yes, they’re that good. By the way, I ...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is bestselling author, Mike McCrary. MIke’s the author of multiple book series as well as standalone novels. Mike came onto my radar with his Remo Cobb series, a nod to the pulpy, hard-boiled books written by Elmore Leonard, Raymond Chandler and the like. Recently, I got an email announcing his newest book (which I bought!) and I decided to reach out to him and see if he’d be willing to come on the podcast and do an episode. He graciou...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is bestselling author Jason Kasper. I came across Jason a few years ago when I got an email from him about his debut novel, Greatest Enemy. I devoured the book in about two days and was hooked. Since that debut, he’s closed out that initial story arc and started two more novel series. To say he’s a prolific writer would be an understatement. His novels impress me, but what has impressed me more is that he always takes the time to respo...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is Jeremy Forsyth, an author from Johannesburg, South Africa. I had gotten on Jeremy’s email list when he was seeking reviewers for his most recent book. I emailed him back and asked if he wanted to be on a podcast episode. He did and here he is. A couple programming notes: since the call is between the US and South Africa, there is a bit of delay between when I ask the questions and when he answers them. And there’s some interference ...

Welcome back to the podcast. Today’s guest is Timothy Walker a former Richmond Police detective and current music producer, graphic artist, business owner and all around great guy. Despite being a police officer for over 30yrs, he still maintains a sunny outlook on life and it shows in our interview. Make sure that you head on over to his website where you can find all of his work: https://linktr.ee/timpusha Take care of each other and stay positive. Thanks for listening

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is Amukelani Makhuvela, an author from South Africa. I came across Amukelani’s Instagram page and decided to reach out to her to see if she’d be willing to be a guest on the podcast. She graciously agreed and we had a fantastic conversation. Take a listen to our chat and let me know what you think. Make sure you check out her Instagram page: amumakhuvela And...... Her book, Basket of Grief, on Amazon!

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is Christian Miles, a 14yr old up and coming actor from the Richmond area. Christian and I talk about how he came to be in the Youtube short film, The Poet, as a young Edgar Allan Poe. The film is due to be released Spring, 2022. If you want to check out the Youtube channel with the director’s other work, head on over to Hollywood Graveyard on YouTube, but make sure you set a reminder on your calendar to catch The Poet! And if you wa...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is Richmond native and bestselling author, David L. Robbins. David helped found an organization that’s near and dear to my heart: Frontline Writers. As many of you know, I’m a retired Homicide detective as well as the author of two different fiction series, so is it any wonder why I love the idea of a group that helps and encourages frontline heroes write about their experiences? David and the folks at Frontline Writers epitomize why ...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is Chesterfield’s Commonwealth Attorney, Stacey Davenport. Stacey is the first female Commonwealth Attorney in Chesterfield County’s history and she got her start as a public defender with the City of Richmond. Stacey and I talk about why she became a lawyer, why she thought that she’d always be a criminal defense attorney and how she came to be Chesterfield’s Commonwealth Attorney. We cover a lot of ground in the interview, so let’s g...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is PJ Morrissey. I was working an off-duty job when a guy approached me and gave me a bead bracelet with a thin blue line color pattern. He told me about the special woman who made them and wrote down her website for me: emilysbracelets.com. I went to her website and was amazed at the number of bracelets this woman had designed. I sent an email and asked if Emily could come on the podcast. PJ responded and said that Emily doesn’t do we...