Episodes

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...

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. For today’s episode, I’ve invited back four past guests to talk about an issue that’s impacting the lives of people not only in Richmond, but nationwide: Black on Black crime. The panel and I talk about what they think is the root cause for it, what can be done to prevent it and why no one wants to talk about it openly. Listen to our discussion and let me know what you think, then give me some feedback on the following questions: Do you agree or di...

Today’s guest is bestselling author and Richmond native, David L. Robbins. David’s first novel, War of the Rats, was an incredible book about the battle of Stalingrad during World War ll. David went on from there to write another sixteen or seventeen books (he wasn’t sure the number when I asked him) and has ideas for even more books. He and I talk about how he became an author, how he goes all in when he researches locations for his novels and why Richmond is his favorite place to live. We pack...

Todays’s guest is Mike Herring, the former Commonwealth Attorney for the City of Richmond. Mike did two stints as a prosecutor in the city. The first time as an assistant commonwealth attorney, specializing in drug prosecutions back in the early to mid-90’s, then as the elected Commonwealth Attorney, where he did nearly three terms before handing the reins over to Colette McEachin, who won her re-election bid recently. I’ve known Mike for years and am a huge fan. I hope you enjoy the interview.

Today’s guest is Charlottesville author and screenwriter Michael Cordell. I was on Michael’s email list and he asked me to review a newly released novel he wrote: Our Trespasses. It sounded like an interesting read, so I checked it out on Amazon. Then I got the idea to email him back and see if he was interested in doing a podcast episode. He said that he was and here he is. Take a listen to our interview and let me know what you think. And make sure to check out Michael's author page on Amazon...