Building Business w/ the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce
The Building Business podcast provides compelling stories of the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce's journey, its steadfast commitment to the local community, and its forward-thinking approach to addressing the needs of businesses in an ever-changing landscape. It stands as an invitation to listeners to become part of a movement that values growth, connection, and the collective progress of the Mount Pleasant, South Carolina community.
Be prepared to be inspired, informed, and motivated, as we provide a rich tapestry of stories that celebrate the dynamic interplay of business and personal growth right here, in our own backyard.
Building Business w/ the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce
From Chef to Novelist: Victoria Benton Frank's Creative Journey
Ever wonder what happens when you combine Southern charm, culinary expertise, and literary talent into one dynamic personality? Meet Victoria Benton Frank, the daughter of beloved bestselling novelist Dorothea Benton Frank, who has found her own voice in the literary world after living what she calls "eight lives already."
From the moment Victoria begins speaking, her magnetic energy fills the room. Self described as "Southern on the inside and Northern on the outside," she effortlessly blends "y'all" and "schlep" into conversations that bounce between laugh-out-loud funny and profoundly touching. After careers as a dancer, actress, playwright, and chef, Victoria has found her true calling as a novelist – continuing a family legacy while blazing her own distinct path.
Her debut novel "My Magnolia Summer" draws inspiration from her great grandmother's restaurant, "The Magic Lantern," which operated on Folly Road in the 1920s and 30s. Victoria reveals how Sullivan's Island serves as the beating heart of her stories, explaining that "setting is really your protagonist." When discussing her second novel "The Violet Hour" (releasing August 12th), she shares how grief and self-discovery shaped this continuation of her first book's universe, providing readers both connection and fresh perspectives.
What truly sets Victoria apart is her refreshing transparency about the writing business. She candidly discusses the advantages of her literary pedigree while emphasizing that "no one gives you anything for free in New York." Her all female team reflects her commitment to supporting working mothers, and her approach to negative criticism is memorably straightforward: "Don't take criticism from someone you wouldn't take advice from." Between managing two young children, a chef husband, and her writing career, Victoria grabs creative moments whenever possible – sometimes writing at 6 AM, sometimes in voice memos between school pickups.
Pre-order "The Violet Hour" now through your favorite independent bookstore! And follow Victoria on Instagram (@victoriabentonfrank) to keep up with her book tour dates and get a glimpse into the life of a writer who's mastering the art of reinvention with every page she writes.
Presenting Sponsor: Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce
Studio Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions
Production Sponsor: RMBO.co
Design Sponsor: DK Design
Committee:
Kathleen Herrmann | Host | MPCC Immediate Past President | Mount Pleasant Towne Centre
Mike Compton | Co-host | Marketing Chair | RMBO.co
Rebecca Imholz | Co-host | MPCC Executive Director
Amanda Bunting Comen | Co-host | Social ABCs
Ben Nesvold | Co-host | In-coming President | Edward Jones
Well, hello and welcome to the Building Business Podcast powered by the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce. We are recording in the Charleston Media Solutions Studios, who are huge supporters of the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce, so thank you for allowing us to record here today. We also want to thank our sponsor, dk Designs. Dk Designs does so many different things for the chamber, including logos, does great work. Check him out if you're looking for a new designer and need some creative assistance. My name is Kathy Herman and I am the immediate past president of the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce and I'm the marketing director for Mount Pleasant Town Center. I'm joined today by and I say this every time my favorite co-host, favorite. You can go and look.
Speaker 2:I say that every time, maybe special sometimes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, mike Compton, who is president of Roomba Advertising and the current marketing committee chair for the chamber.
Speaker 2:That's it. Welcome Mike. Hey, good to be here.
Speaker 1:Super excited about today's guest, by the way, I don't even know, are you? Okay, you kind of did a little bit of no, I'm a little nervous fangirled out and I am because of me, because of you yes, no, no, no.
Speaker 3:Who's that?
Speaker 1:well, you know listen, there's nothing wrong with fanning, okay. Well, because you'll find out. I'm like the biggest nerdist. I read constantly I would rather read to do anything else, almost anything else in the world. So I'm a big book nerd.
Speaker 2:So when I get to sit this close to an author, Anyway, let me tell you who we've got here today, the lineage and the whole thing, all right.
Speaker 1:Our guest today if you can tell already she's an author was born in New York City. I'm from Long Island too.
Speaker 3:Perfect, so that's why we're going to be friends.
Speaker 1:Raised in Montclair, new Jersey. I have friends in Montclair, new Jersey but considers herself to have dual residency in the low country, and you deserve that for sure. She's a graduate of the College of Charleston and this always blows my mind. We have to talk about this the French Culinary Institute how you go from cooking to writing. Victoria worked in restaurants in New York before returning to Charleston where she calls home with her husband, her two kids and her sweet puppy.
Speaker 3:Now I have two puppies, two puppies, sweet puppies.
Speaker 2:Loretta and Lady. Loretta and Lady.
Speaker 1:When she isn't writing, she's reading, cooking, playing Mahjong or chasing her children. Everyone listening today. I am so excited. Like mike said, I'm a fan girl.
Speaker 2:Please welcome victoria benton frank thank you for having me the radio station was buzzing today, oh coming in there people were standing outside lined up waiting for listen victoria no, but they were though.
Speaker 3:No, they were not we not the one lady. No, I mean, I don't know. I just threw a Diet Coke or a bottle of water. It's hot out there.
Speaker 1:I don't know if we've ever had people standing outside the conference room with a book.
Speaker 3:That's my point. Oh, you guys are going to make me blush. That's my point.
Speaker 1:So if there's anyone listening who does not know who Victoria Benton Frank is, I'm going to let her do a brief introduction, oh God, and then we will take it from there.
Speaker 3:You know, this always makes me nervous when people ask me to introduce myself, because I'm always like please just introduce me, because I don't know what to say. I think I'm sort of like a cat. I've lived like eight lives already.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:And this is my ninth swing at it, cat, I've lived like eight lives already and this is my ninth swing at it. But I'm a mom, a wife and a writer, and I'm a dreamer and a cook and I like to design things and make things and I'm an artist. So I think, with being an artist, you are always finding a new medium in which to express yourself. And when I first started out, I was a dancer, and then I was an actress, and then I was a playwright and then and then I was a chef and now I'm a writer. I guess, um, and this one is feels like home, so that's who I am.
Speaker 1:It's very exciting and, of course, let's let's um. Let's talk about your mom for a second, which is where the name might become familiar to some of you um Dorothea Benton Frank. I mean best-selling, incredible and internationally best-selling novelist, um, who I understand was born and raised in sullivan's island correct from sullivan's island, um, and so of course she passed away and you know. Rest in peace and um. We're really sorry about that, but boy, did you get her talent?
Speaker 3:oh god, I hope Just a fingernail of it would be great. I mean, she's the best, she was incredible. But I think when you grow up as an Irish Catholic, especially a Southern Irish Catholic, like we did I'm Episcopalian now, but I was You're a natural storyteller, you know. So storytelling is something that is how we communicate, I mean, and it's all around the table, so that's sort of where that food comes in and and um. I don't know if I got her talent, but I did get her her love of telling a good story and entertaining. So, but I'm glad you feel that way I do.
Speaker 3:I hope other people with cash flow positive credit cards feel that way 20 novels, 20 plus novels 20 novels in a children's book with me that was my next question.
Speaker 2:Is the children's book what? Was it like uh, collaborating. And how old were you when you did that?
Speaker 3:so that was um, oh god, that was a while. That was what I gave birth 2017 so whatever that math is. I'm 40 this year, so subtract, but um math, yeah, I don't do that. I've been, I've moved on you're an author.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't. I don't math, I'm creative. Um, so the only thing I know about numbers is how to make them and spend them. Um, so my uh mother and I were. She was taking care of my son when he was born with me, which is a generous thing. She was more like standing around, like how do you know how to do all this stuff?
Speaker 1:I'm like I don't know mom's youtube um.
Speaker 3:But so she was just like how are you? And I was nursing my son around the clock like that child was like a linebacker.
Speaker 3:He, he ate like I can't even I mean it was, I would sit on the couch and I'd be like I'm trapped and my mom's like you've been on there for two hours, I'm like he's still eating, yeah, like constant, constant eating, and I was starting to kind of lose my mind. Um, and she was like and I called him teddy spaghetti because I married an italian, so I thought he was like my italian baby, my pasta baby, um, and he's teddy spaghetti, and my mom's like that sounds like a children's book and I was like it does wow, light bulb yeah, and within two weeks we had uh so you're breastfeeding and writing this book, like because you're sitting there, you might as well do something else, right, you have still.
Speaker 3:You start to get crazy because all you're doing you're just like a cow. I felt like a dairy heifer. I remember my wife. It was awful, oh God, yeah, she had both on them. She's a saint. She's a Catholic. She's a saint now.
Speaker 2:But I love that what was it like, though, writing with her and collaborating with her Easy yeah, really easy Sounds like it.
Speaker 3:My mom and I always joke we're the tightest mother and daughter in the world until we started working together, and then that was our strongest relationship, and I think it's because which is odd, you know, and not normal for parents to work so well with their children. But I just picked up where she left off and the opposite. You know, we just sort of anticipated each other's needs. And what do you think? What do you think? And I think the magic of my mother is that she met everybody right at their level. She never made you feel like she was bigger or better or smarter or whatever which she was. She was definitely bigger and better and smarter and more wonderful than all of us, but she made you feel like you're at the same level. And so she always encouraged me to write, and I had been writing my first novel, my Magnolia Summer, for a while, and so I think this was her way of showing me that I could do it.
Speaker 1:Now is this what brought you back to the low country permanently from New York? Like what was the what brought you back? So I went to College of Charleston.
Speaker 3:Okay and I met my husband in culinary school and we worked for his parents at a restaurant up in Connecticut and that was not like the experience I had with my mom. It was not so positive.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 3:And I was just like I'm done and I'm going. I was like kind of traumatized and I was like I'm moving back to South Carolina and you can come with me. I want you to, but I understand. He's the firstborn Italian son into a Catholic immigrant Italian family. Like he wasn't going to follow me, there was no way. And then he did. He said break the lease, I'm coming. And so then I came back and of course you know they live now. Now we moved again, but they lived across the street. Oh, that's a lot. You got far away.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was kind of crazy but they're, they're wonderful people.
Speaker 3:We. You know that was in the past, but yeah. So I wanted to return home and I always felt like South Carolina was my home. Even living up north, I think I was always like a displaced person, because I'm so like Southern on the inside and I'm Northern on the outside, Like you don't really know where I come from, because I say y'all and schlep and both are organic to me and those are two fantastic words by the way?
Speaker 2:Yes, they are. We love our words. What is it about Mount Pleasant and Charleston that you think people love, Like you said you? Know this is your second home, but what is it and you're writing about?
Speaker 3:these. Yeah, I mean, I think it's a lot of things. First of all, certainly speaking from my work, I think that setting is really your protagonist, so I think the main character of your story is always the setting. I think there's something special about Charleston that is just intoxicating, and I also think everyone wants to be Southern.
Speaker 2:I heard you say that before. I wanted you to dive into that a little bit, what do? You mean I'm from Detroit, I don't want to be.
Speaker 3:Southern. Where do you live? Shit Right you live here. My grandmother is from Detroit. She recently passed away. She was 102.
Speaker 2:Oh okay so.
Speaker 3:Dearborn is where.
Speaker 2:Sure suburbia, detroit. I'm not downtown 8 Mile or anything like that, not like Eminem, yeah, I love, love, people from Michigan, it's like there's a kismet thing.
Speaker 1:I love it.
Speaker 3:But I think everybody does want to be Southern, because we sort of and you can actually see it not just with Americaica, but even like in italy, if you look at southern italians, we are louder and more fun and we're, you know, gregarious, and we eat very similar foods. We um focus on family and sunshine, and I think that it's the vitamin d that we get from the sun that just makes us happier so true, and we want to be in gray new york. No, thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, y'all are a bunch of like transplants too right long island and detroit.
Speaker 3:We're all communists, we're over it yeah, we don't want to shovel snow.
Speaker 1:I'd rather be hot and put on the air conditioner I agree, yeah, I agree, I don't work, I don't work outside, so I could go from my car to my office, my office, my house.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm not doing anything outside except for like going inside walking my dog so in your books?
Speaker 2:yeah, are, are you, are we on?
Speaker 3:so I haven't read it yet, cliff Notes You're a dude. It's not my target demographic. I get it, it's okay.
Speaker 1:Your wife's going to love it, mike, your wife's going to love it.
Speaker 3:Let's see how well you pick up with questions that you have.
Speaker 2:Well, Mahjong's talk will come later.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's in the second book. We will talk about the new book too, for mahjong. Oh, my god, it's the best.
Speaker 2:Oh, they're loving it, I love it yeah, um, but so so the locations on sullivan's island. Are you writing about sullivan's island?
Speaker 3:that's really cool always okay, that is the center of my universe, so talk about it, that's well, that was my mom, so this is the most ironic thing ever so. My mother, when her mother passed away, um decided to write a book about her childhood, which was sullivan Island. Her first book that came out in, I think, 98 or 99.
Speaker 2:Wait, wait, wait. Her book was called Sullivan's Island. Mm-hmm, that's her first book and it's great.
Speaker 3:And it sold over a million copies and just went gangbusters. It was a paperback and it was at the time, back in the 90 up. I think it was a Danielle Steele novel which was romance and we don't write romance.
Speaker 2:I recognize that name.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we know her a little bit. There's a couple books she sold and she picked it up and she goes what does this woman have that I don't have? Why can't she do it and I can't? Which is, of course, that's Dottie's like, mo she's like. And so she decided to tell her story. And I think at the core of all of our writing and all of our books is you write what you know and you write a book that someone would want to read. And so she romanticized Sullivan's Island even more so when her mother passed and she wanted to buy back the family house. And my dad was like, if you think I'm going to sit on a porch with a bunch of bubba's telling the same damn story over and over, shucking peanuts and drinking, it's not happening. She goes well, screw you, I'm gonna write a book, I'm gonna sell a million copies and I'll buy mama's house back she did.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, so then?
Speaker 3:I decided to write um. I started my novel when she was still living, um, and her last words to me were finish your book, please, um. So I did, but I wrote it and I finished it after she died. And then my second book is a lot of the trends that go through it, and themes are dealing with grief and realizing that your parents are actually human they're not just mom and dad. So it's sort of how you deal with curveballs.
Speaker 2:A hundred percent. Speaking of humans, real quick. What about dad?
Speaker 3:What about dad? What about dad?
Speaker 2:What does dad do she?
Speaker 1:asked my therapist.
Speaker 3:She could tell you a lot about daddy issues. He's phenomenal, he's a wonderful human and we have become so much closer. We actually joke that the only good thing that came out of my mom passing is that it gave us a chance to be besties.
Speaker 2:And I'm very close with my dad and he lives locally Sullivan's Island. And what did he do? Finance, finance.
Speaker 1:And he island. Yeah, and what did he do? He um finance, finance and he um he did a lot of things. Yeah, yeah, looking for a guy in finance he's not six five, but he does have blue eyes but he's 78 and he's off the market um so ladies.
Speaker 3:Yeah, unfortunately, um, but he's, yeah, he's, he's a great guy. We have dinner once a week and, man, no one tells me the truth like he does.
Speaker 1:So I bet you need someone like that in your life and you know it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh I have two children and a husband that do that too. Don't worry, it's a humble pie every day for breakfast how old are the kids? Seven and five, but they're really like. My son is a 90 year old man and my daughter is 16 she's a living she is a living disney princess, though like literally if you come over my house. She's singing and she's on her tiptoes she starts today's rapunzel. She ends the cinderella and every princess in between. Oh my gosh, she's amazing she's delicious. They're the best kids I'm lucky.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're in the middle of it. I am, yeah, seven. I got two nine-year-olds.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's wonderful. You have twins, boys or girls boys man, nine-year-old boys lucked out. Yeah, how's the house clean?
Speaker 1:immaculate, yeah, right what do you mean I you?
Speaker 3:mean no blood. I was like I can't believe you drive a minivan. I'm like I can't drive anything else.
Speaker 2:Minivans are great.
Speaker 1:They're the best invention ever I don't drive one anymore, but I like it, but is a 16-year-old driving now, then no, she's not 16. She's five. No, she's going.
Speaker 3:16 year old child teen pregnancy no, I had my children in my 30s, which I think is really smart. I like that too because I think if I had done it in my 20s I would have been really freaked out and instead I had a sense of humor about it yeah, we're ready for it, yeah.
Speaker 2:I don't know if I was ready for it, but I handled it as the man I guess it's a little different friends all the time.
Speaker 3:I'm like I'm yelling at my kids. I'm like you can ask your father sitting over there with his useless nipples Like come on, go ask him.
Speaker 1:He's right there. Oh my God, that's the worst you can't milk a cat fucker.
Speaker 3:Exactly. I love when people are like I'm a dog mom. I'm like, oh, you breastfed for nine months, 24?. You're worried about a college fund? Get the hell out of here my kids, kids. It cracks me up, though, like when I lock myself in the office, that my daughter will slide um things. She wants me to open snacks under the door. And I'm like again, dad's right there and like he's on duty because mommy's writing like I gotta go, I gotta keep the starship afloat, what are you doing? And like a little granola bar. And she goes mommy, can you open this? I'm like son of a. Yes, I can that's mommy.
Speaker 3:That is the cutest thing I tell, I tell my doctor, my OBGYN, I was like I'm a little mad. The last C-section I was already under the knife. Why didn't you just attach a couple arms?
Speaker 2:It could have been an octopus, it would have helped me I can do it all Write more books, different type of octomom yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:I have two food questions.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:All right, so cooking in the house me. Does he ever cook?
Speaker 2:yes, okay is he still at a restaurant? He's working. Yeah, he's at a restaurant.
Speaker 3:Yes, he works at park and grove. He's the executive chef there and it's phenomenal.
Speaker 2:If you haven't been, there you go, happy hour gotta go yeah nice kathy loves her happy hours I love, I love brunch and food, I mean I love yes
Speaker 3:just food same, drinking and eating is the core of my everything. Um, and I also have a theory that happy hour was invented by a mom, because at five o'clock it also coincides with the witching hour I'm like mommy needs a drink, like I should start a podcast called mommy needs a drink no, the witching hour right they're like. That's a truth and it still happens when they get older. I thought that they would grow out of it, but they just like crash after their days at school oh and they're just like done and I'm like okay, the witching hour is upon us.
Speaker 3:The kids are acting crazy. It was like time to pop the kids that are acting crazy.
Speaker 2:I thought it was the mom, sorry I just, but that's after they go to bed.
Speaker 3:After I've had 48 glasses of wine, yeah copy that but so, yes, carmine, my husband, who is a saint, um he works at park and grove hi carm um, he probably won't even listen, he's like he's the most like introverted anyway.
Speaker 3:Um, he has changed the menu over at park and grove and one thing that I'm very proud of him and he's very proud of is he's put handmade pastas, so everything's house made in that in there. Now nothing is bought externally, um, and he makes his own sauces and his pastas from scratch, and they're all family recipes are really good that's amazing yeah, yeah, you got a bolognese with. Yeah, you got it Bolognese with gnocchi. Sign me up. Just don't call it gnocchi. Just don't call it gnocchi.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'll be so mad I'm going back to my Magnolia. Summer, just for one second because I read this one. No it's not really work. So if you haven't read it, my Magnolia Summer an amazing novel, especially a Was that based on a real place in Sullivan Island.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so my great-grandmother had a restaurant called the Magic Lantern. That was actually on.
Speaker 1:Folly Road. Wait, so that part of it was real.
Speaker 3:Yeah, See I love this.
Speaker 3:It was a fried chicken restaurant on Folly Road in the 20s and the 30s and she used to sell blue plates. So for like 25 cents you'd get a protein, two starches and a vegetable and a glass of sweet tea, and it was the first place in South Carolina to have a soda fountain. And so when I went to culinary school I was like, oh, it's in the blood. So I always felt very drawn to that and then I wrote the book because I wanted to write again a book I wanted to read and I was very inspired by, like Steel, magnolias, yaya, sisterhood, you know, and I'd read all those books. So when I went to barnes and noble looking for a book that was it was, there wasn't any. And I was like, well, and not only that, there's nobody who's like late 20s, early 30s, who's doing this. And god, I love a multi-generational story and of course I'm going to center it around food, because I am always hungry I'm hungry right now, even taking ozempic.
Speaker 3:I'm still really hungry um that's a crazy story like uh process wise though, yeah, how, and with the kids good question working husband and and two novels now I think um the fear of going broke really motivates me sure, sure um and deadlines and angry people really motivate me. So, um no, I think I grab it when I can. You know, I mean, I think if I was to sit here and be like, yes, my process is, it's never the same every day, because every day is different, you know, as a parent like I try to schedule my week. So monday is like my admin day, that's when I'm like ceo of the family and I do all the stupid emails and birthday party rsvps and yada, yada.
Speaker 3:And then tuesday I try to write 10 to 2. So I try to get four focused writing hours a day. That never happens. Um, it's usually like I procrastinate and then right around two o'clock I know that I have to go get my kids in an hour and a half so I get a ton of work done in an hour exactly.
Speaker 3:I just like fire it out. You know it's it's pressure, but then again on the flip side, if my kid somebody has an ear infection or whatever. I'm writing in the middle of the night, I'm writing 6 am. I'm writing in my head, I'm voice memo, I do whatever.
Speaker 2:I can Voice memo.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but I always hate how I sound, so I can't listen to it.
Speaker 2:It makes me sick. Transcribe it right off, have you?
Speaker 3:ever experienced writer's block?
Speaker 1:That's my question, of course.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So you just go like this and go come on, come on. I think I mean, the thing that's worked for me with writer's block is that it's usually because I'm uninspired of what I'm writing or it's feeling like really robotic or just mechanical, and I don't like that. So I usually get up and I change my space, Like I'll go for a walk or I'll read. I'll read another book that has nothing to do with my genre. And that usually sparks my creativity and I go, and I go back.
Speaker 1:Now I have not, we're going to talk about the second book, which I cannot wait to read. So thank you for that. But when, um I I attended your, my magnolia summer book signing, um at Buxton books, I think it was last year yeah, um, I had the greatest time and you were doing a little Q&A yeah and um. My memory's not good because I'm old. Just correct me if I'm wrong.
Speaker 3:Same.
Speaker 1:I have nothing left in my drive. The end of my Magnolia Summer, kind of, is open right to be able to write about those characters and continue. I have not read the Violet Hour. Are there any of the same characters?
Speaker 3:in it, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:It picks up where the other book. Oh now I'm gonna go because I'm gonna have to go start reading this book right now.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's uh. Violet is the sister, so it's a sister story.
Speaker 3:But it's a standalone novel on its own, because one I hopped publishing houses um and so I didn't want to bring too much of my last into this one. But at the same time women are their own stories. We're all our own standalone books, like I'm definitely my mother's daughter first, but as you get older you realize you're yourself, and so I wanted to give Violet the same sort of space, and so I was writing her and it was supposed to be only Violet's story. But then I was inspired to write another woman's voice. Her name is Allie and she recently lost her mother and she is an influencer and her mother was a big influencer. So she's stepping in her role, and I didn't really mean to write so autobiographical, but that's what happens, it's just. You know it was like books shouldn't be therapy. I'm like what the hell?
Speaker 1:are they? Well, they're therapy when I read them, so why shouldn't they be therapy when you write them?
Speaker 3:I think that's what artists do we? We try to write authentic work, and if I had written something that was entirely fiction, I think it would not read true to the audience. I think my readers would be disappointed.
Speaker 1:Well, I can honestly say, I think that if I picked up the book and you were talking about being on the 35th floor of the Tokyo Hotel, whatever it might be, I'd be like that's not Victoria, that's not her.
Speaker 3:Well, the other thing is, too is, like you know, um, mostly positive, positive. I've inherited an audience from my mother, um, and so I think the expectation of me is to write southern fiction, beach reads, which I would be so blessed and happy to do for the rest of my life. Um, sometimes I think about writing something else just to shake it up, but I always find myself going back to Charleston anyway, and I think that, again, like my books are touchstones to where I'm at in my life at the time, and I think I'm always going to be in Charleston, I can't imagine living anywhere else.
Speaker 1:Well, you know what? And if it comes to you, though some great idea in the middle of the night, after a couple glasses of wine, you're like I want to be a CEO, or whatever it might be.
Speaker 3:We're open for it. Victoria, I can write about it. That's the nice thing about being a writer is, if I decide to change my career, I just write about it. What if I want to be a veterinarian? That's the product I can decide. I'm writing a book about a vet.
Speaker 2:I love that Write about what you know, what happened? Acting With acting, yeah, what happened with?
Speaker 3:acting, I went broke.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what happens. Yeah, that's what happens. Starving artist. I was a starving artist.
Speaker 3:Didn't reflect in my dress size, but I was starving financially.
Speaker 2:So then you decided to cook. Then I decided to cook.
Speaker 3:You're like, I'm not going to be starving anymore.
Speaker 2:Well.
Speaker 3:I went and I decided to. I love how food can tell a story and you can know a lot about somebody by eating a plate that they make. You know you can tell culture and upbringing and geographical location and it tells so much about who the person is Like. I know when you eat something that's really good, you're like man. It has a lot of soul in this. It's because I feel like they put their love into the dish. So I was always fascinated with that and also restaurant culture. I love restaurant culture. It's so fun.
Speaker 2:I'm glad I don't do it anymore. I bartended and did all that.
Speaker 1:I was the best waitress the Rossin Cafe ever had, I'm telling you right now, I'm sure of it.
Speaker 2:Great tips Everybody needs to have some sort of service industry background, my children are required to work six months. They're required. You have to sign contracts, blood contracts. They're five and seven years old.
Speaker 3:Yes, and one of them will be waiting tables and then they'll work in a fitting room. I worked for anthropology for years and I'm telling you, you will see the whole scope of the human population, okay, in a fitting room and also in a restaurant.
Speaker 1:I agree 100% yeah.
Speaker 3:It's important.
Speaker 1:Yeah, important, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 3:I almost wanted them to work at my in-laws' restaurant and then not pay them and be like this is voluntary, that's even better. Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 1:I want to talk about business for a second because, we are the Building Business Podcast.
Speaker 3:Let's talk about biz.
Speaker 1:I could talk about your books forever, but obviously the majority of the people who are listening to our podcasts are business owners, and so what you have created is not just a book. You've created a business. You're a business. Yes, absolutely You're a business. So how did it feel when you were starting? Were you scared? Like? You are a business name now, and so I was hoping you can give some advice to perhaps someone out there that might either be starting a business or looking to market their business. You can give some advice to perhaps someone out there that might either be starting a business or looking to market their business, or you know that would be any kind of insight to kind of changing it all for yourself right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think the most important thing is to stay true to your original mission and to stay true to yourself and to tell yourself the truth, and also to surround yourself with people that you trust, and, unfortunately, a lot of that is just like learning through bad and good or whatever. Do I need water? Thank you. I'm running my mouth, I need to hydrate, that's quite all right, so thank you, but I do think that's what happens. I think you learn through experience who to trust and who your people are, but you try to surround yourself. I'm very fortunate. I work with all females, which is wonderful. Everyone on my team is a woman and almost all of them are mothers, and so we kind of get it.
Speaker 1:Is that on purpose?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's on purpose. It's definitely on purpose, although I think it's nice to have the perspective of men.
Speaker 2:That's nice of you to say.
Speaker 1:I'll throw you a bone. You can just give Mike a call. Okay, I'll give you a call. Mike will give you the honest answer. He didn't read the book so I can't. Yeah, he'll read it now. I'll tell you.
Speaker 3:No, it's yeah karma. You know, my husband doesn't doesn't go to accident and on purpose. Working with people, that is not.
Speaker 3:I mean, I don't think all men should work with men and all women should work with women but in my case, um, especially because the brand of my business uh, the low country tales what we are are. We are all women trying to recarve and reincarnate ourselves through the times that life gives you and the curveballs, and so I wanted to surround myself with a team of women who have been through some stuff, so not only do they identify with my work, but they identify with me, which is almost the same thing.
Speaker 2:I love that. That's a great story. I love it. Oh thanks, yeah, reinventing yourself, you know you have to that's it.
Speaker 1:And then also I get when your mom started, there was no social media or Facebook or any of that right. So you, as a new author, are challenged because I hate social media so I use that word challenge with utilizing this medium and it could be hurtful. I mean when people say bad things and again, I work at Town Center and some of the things that people say and I want I want to, yeah, I want to create that fake account name that I can write back?
Speaker 1:oh yeah, because you know I can't used to do it.
Speaker 3:She used to have a couple of scotches and get on Amazon and be like you know what you write a book, then like and it was so funny. I love it can't do that, you can't, and she's like they're never gonna believe it's me and they didn't. They were like I don't think Dorothea Benton Frank would ever have. She was there with the scotch like screw you. And I feel like doing that on Goodreads too. I mean, it's the people, it's amazing.
Speaker 3:It's amazing, but you know what I always say and I think this is this has really helped me with that is don't take criticism from someone you wouldn't take advice from.
Speaker 1:And if they haven't care, and I already got yours, I already have your money. Are you ready? That's it. I didn't give up just because you don't like it. You're not getting the money back out at the library if you're really in.
Speaker 3:I don't, I don't care, that's great.
Speaker 2:No, I love that. I'm not everybody's cup of tea, that's okay. What's that? Are heckling her and she's like you just paid for my trip to yeah, you know, cabo. What are you talking about?
Speaker 3:but it's also just like you have to have this when you're a creator of anything, whether it be a business or a book or artistic or otherwise, you have to really kind of get in your bubble. And the people, the, the opinions that matter to me, live in my four walls or they are located at my publishing house. That's who I really care about, and I care because those are the people I'm truly trying to prove myself to. I'm not trying to prove myself to any rando. I want to make them happy. I want to entertain. That's what I'm doing. I'm not writing a book. The purpose of all of my books, and will be, is to slide into your tote bag. You take me to the beach, I make you happy. For four days, you can turn off the noise, you feel good, and then that's it.
Speaker 1:I'm not trying to like rattle it Change the world Right, right right.
Speaker 3:If I do, it's through joy, right, and what a privilege to be able to do that. So if I have some nasty person get on the line and say something bad to me, I'm like bless your heart, that's what we say here.
Speaker 1:I love that. That's my favorite response. Oh yeah, that's good. You know what I'm gonna do? An inch. I'm gonna do a facebook instagram handle called bless your heart should probably taken already, but anyway, I'm gonna do that and then start commenting on people's things do it, you heard?
Speaker 3:you heard it here first, that's the response just bless your heart you heard it here first.
Speaker 1:Um, no, but I agree, I agree with you. 100. I think there's so many people um you. You, I could choose what I want to read. Yeah, of course I can go, and I can get a romance novel, a fiction novel, a horror novel, an autobiography. I mean, that's my choice. Um, so if you don't like it, go away you know, just put it down.
Speaker 3:You don't have to be nasty about it.
Speaker 1:You don't have to finish it either.
Speaker 3:You know also, like what I really what I really want to say to people who are truly nasty, it's like who hurt you, like go here's the number of my therapist. She's great, maybe check her out, like you. You, there's something broken in you if you feel like you need to rip apart someone's book, that writing a book is so hard. So for someone to publish a book and get it out there at all, even if they don't get it out there, even if they just finish, it, is such an accomplishment on its own. So to attack somebody's work, it's cruel.
Speaker 1:I feel the same way, too, about some of our members of the chamber. I've talked with them about a couple of things. Restaurants they make one mistake.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh. And they're given one star and then forget it was closed on a Monday. I'm like that's not his fault, that doesn't mean the food sucks, it means they're taking a day off. You can't make everyone happy.
Speaker 1:But to me that's the whole con side of social media. It's just it could be so devastating to a business. Listen, if your food's terrible or whatever, whatever, that's fine, Just don't go back. But if something happens, one little chance to destroy a new business or somebody, I just I have a problem with it.
Speaker 3:But on the flip, because I'm this person, social media is also incredible for building up other things.
Speaker 1:I agree.
Speaker 3:So I think one of the things that I've learned about social media is that it is a tool, and so what I've been able to do for upcoming authors is promote their books because with my small little following, it brings their even smaller following to a bigger following, and that invites opportunity through exposure. So I think you find your tribe on social media and you just block out the noise. But you can also promote great things.
Speaker 2:Mean, god knows, instagram's maybe a very efficient shopper oh, for sure, you can ask my husband so I need that at the cart on a scale of 1 to 50 shades how spicy is how spicy are we getting?
Speaker 3:of course, the man's asking about how much you know he's gonna read the next one now yeah uh well, the first one, I would say, is like frank's red hot, and the second one, I would say, is more like there's a chapter in it that's pretty spicy oh dear, okay, yeah, I think I just got read, but I will tell you that my dad a funny story about the book.
Speaker 3:So the first book there's a chapter in it that is pretty explicit, but not terrible. The second book is a little bit more, because you know why not? He was working long hours so mama had to entertain herself anyway. Um, so the first book I called my dad. I was like, dad, you're gonna read my book. I was like, please don't read this chapter. Like, whatever you do, don't. He's like fine, I'm going to australia, I'm gonna be on the on the plane for like 20 hours. I'm gonna take, I'll read it. Then I was like, all right, and he was texting me from up in the sky and I'm sitting with my husband on the couch and he's like I'm reading your book. And I'm like, oh shit, because that's the first thing I thought was like oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. And he was like and he started writing this like whole thing, like, oh, I'm so proud of you.
Speaker 1:Mom would be so proud, it's such beautiful writing you didn't get to the chapter yet, did he Right, okay.
Speaker 3:And I was like ready for him to be like I have a brain tumor. Like I was, like we should screenshot this and needle point it, because he's never given me a compliment, ever. He's German, I mean, you know now, he does, he does.
Speaker 2:I'm just.
Speaker 1:I'm joking, I'm joking.
Speaker 3:He's very complimentary, he's lovely Biggest cheerleader. I was like remember, dad, this chapter that's coming up, you skip it and he goes OK, I think it was chapter 10. I can't remember. And so he sends me a text message about two hours later and he's like I read chapter 10. And I'm like oh my God, I'm so grounded, I'm like I'm in trouble. Yeah right, I'm like I'm in, so yell at me. I would so much more prefer that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was the opposite of what I thought he was going to say yeah, same.
Speaker 3:So the second book comes out. So now it's really a contest to gross my dad out.
Speaker 2:Oh boy.
Speaker 3:So I'm just getting more graphic and more sexy as the books come see me, I'm blushing just sitting here.
Speaker 2:I can't wait until the next one. The second one.
Speaker 3:There's a hot scene in there. I'll tell you. I almost had a third baby. We got a puppy instead. Puppies are better. Yeah, it is.
Speaker 1:Plus my husband's Italian.
Speaker 3:He sneezes and I get nervous.
Speaker 1:And a reminder for our listeners the Violet Hour comes out.
Speaker 3:August, yes, august 12th. Please pre-order it now, because the pre-orders matter y'all. Everyone's like. Don't say that it's tacky. I'm like y'all, I just got back from Disney, I need to sell some books, yeah. So the pre-orders, everything counts for the first week of your sales. So the first week is how you get on the New York Times list or not.
Speaker 2:I was wondering, it is important to me. The business side of things on that end.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Public like what was that? Like? Um, how, how? So good question.
Speaker 3:I know you had an in already, but well, yes, so what I like to tell people is that mine is a very unique story, obviously because I have a legacy, um, but no one gives you anything for free in new york.
Speaker 3:So they may open the door for me, but I gotta walk through it and I wrote that novel and this one and every, every word I write, I write myself, you know, and it's and it's hard, um. So I got really lucky and and I'm blessed, I mean I really I inherited my mom's agent and her editor and then editor changed publishing house and I followed her from harper collins to simon and schuster, because she is so brilliant. Carrie farron is my editor and she is just her mind is like just so razor sharp, and she understands what I'm doing because she helped build my mom's career. So it's like I really have the alpha team, the varsity team, but I don't know how. I think I was meant to do this and I think doors opened to me because they were like in anything in life if you were meant to do something.
Speaker 3:It sort of comes together.
Speaker 1:Listen, no matter the legacy, if your book was not good you know what I'm saying it would not have sold.
Speaker 2:It's all right Period, so you had to. So did you have to pitch the idea?
Speaker 3:Yeah, what is?
Speaker 2:that process. So it's different.
Speaker 3:Again, it's different for everybody and every editor, every agent they all have. You know they have different expectations and wants of an author and different time. Like you know, in the 90s it was one game. Now it's a different game.
Speaker 1:I had a as in everything Right as in From the 90s, I know, hello, I miss your 90s, I miss the 90s, you know.
Speaker 3:God, spice Girls, where you at but this. So I had most of the novel finished and I got a book deal when it was finished. So I had to they would. My editor looked at it for me as a favor because she was my mom's editor. But then I hired a freelance editor because Carrie was very busy being an incredible editor to other people. So I had a freelance editor help me kind of shape it and cut off a lot of it. And then I got a book deal. Once it was done I submitted it. But I was lucky.
Speaker 2:Did you have some consultation on the deal part of things Is it a fair?
Speaker 3:deal. I have an agent.
Speaker 2:So I have an agent who represents me and you're happy with all that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I can't believe I was paid to do this.
Speaker 2:I love that.
Speaker 3:It's great and it's amazing.
Speaker 2:I'm having such a good time like I really am, like I love thanks.
Speaker 3:I love book tour. I love that I get to make people's lives fun and sunny for like a few days, because although everyone like rips through my books, I'm like could you take a little longer it?
Speaker 2:took me seven years to write the first one and you're done in 24 hours.
Speaker 1:That's interesting, well that's, but that's kudos to you, because if you don't want to put it down it's a well-written book.
Speaker 3:Well, at least it's a page turner and I think again, the nice thing is it's such a privilege. It's a privilege to be my mother's daughter in general and now to herald what she built her mountain on. I get to build on top of.
Speaker 1:So, of all those great things you just mentioned, victoria, what has been the most rewarding part of your journey so far? Being here right now, right now meeting you two Thank you Meeting readers?
Speaker 3:for sure, I'm a reader. Yeah, the readers who read my? Books I'm rewarding to her.
Speaker 1:Yay, you are.
Speaker 3:I mean, listen, every person who picks up my book allows me to live the life I live and it's an encouragement to keep going. But I've also met women who were struggling in their life, that my book was a light to them. You know, and I can't change the world, but I can make you laugh for a little bit.
Speaker 1:Can you having that kind of effect on another woman? Incredible? You know it's something, it's just it's.
Speaker 3:God you know like I don't know religion, I'm not here to talk about that but I can tell you that, like I believe in God because I see how love is the thread that ties us all together. And if I don't know you, you know. But you know me because of my book and it made you feel seen and that's so important to so many people. And especially, like I love the stories where, like I was in postpartum with babies nursing and dying and your book got me through it, I'm like, yes, like I'm so happy to be able to be that for somebody so amazing yeah, that's my favorite part.
Speaker 2:What about? What about you? What do you do to distress? What do you do to?
Speaker 1:I don't you use a constant stress. She mentioned wine.
Speaker 3:I drink wine I play not enough. There's not enough wine, I write about it mazhang, mazhang, I play mazhang every tuesday, um with a league and I have really fun friends and we laugh a lot and that's my, but I don't have time for myself. Right, but the kids and the husbands and the single Everyone who works with me, all of my team, whenever they ask what do you do to stress, they all start laughing because they're like she doesn't stop. I never stop, because if I stop, I die.
Speaker 3:That seems to me to be a personality in general.
Speaker 1:No matter what you'd be doing in life, I could see you either running a kitchen or whatever it was. I could just see that's the way that you are.
Speaker 3:I live in a managed chaos at all times. Actually, other writers they always make fun of me because it takes me six hours to get two sentences. I sit down with you for 20 minutes. You've written 1,500 words, because that's all I have. I only have those 20 minutes, so I have to make it happen.
Speaker 2:I'm overly caffeinated and motivated to go back to disney world. What, uh, what's next?
Speaker 3:well, this book, and then I'm writing a third one right now this book, meaning the violent, the violent. It'll be out in august a lot of people are calling it the violent hour, which I think is hysterical. Um so I'm going on tour for this um where are you going to go?
Speaker 1:everywhere everywhere, anywhere you're going back to books. Yeah, of course, books, and books is my home base. I like make sure I get an invitation for that one. All right, yeah, thank you.
Speaker 3:Holly bucks is a good friend, and julian, her husband, who's brilliant, brilliant, also an author, um, and I'm working on a third book, which is a little bit different but it's also within the same theme, takes place half on selva's island, a little bit in italy, and it's about um, three girls that planned a life and then it didn't work out for any of them, and so they had to restructure and carve a new path.
Speaker 2:When unexpected things are thrown your way, I mean, you've had enough unexpected things thrown your way that you could probably write for three different people.
Speaker 3:That's why I'm funny.
Speaker 2:It's the trauma yeah, I get it, I like it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, did your therapist tell you to do that.
Speaker 1:No, no, I into therapy actually and I probably should have been in therapy about 10 years ago.
Speaker 3:but here we are. No, I think that it's true. I think the funniest people I know have gone through some of the most roughest lives. Not that my life is rough, but I've definitely been dealt some curveballs for sure. But that's what makes me badass, Exactly.
Speaker 2:Yeah, balls for sure, but that's what makes me exactly badass. Yeah, right, well, I'm a fan thanks, I just met you.
Speaker 3:You haven't even read it yet. Wait till you read it.
Speaker 1:Wait till you read it I don't know if I can, you're gonna read it. You're gonna read it. What do you mean? Like I said, just have emily read it to you, you feel like it's gonna be too personal get the audio, I might get too horny.
Speaker 2:I mean, I don't know, oh, boy.
Speaker 3:Now he's really gonna be a fan. He's gonna be like where did you live on? James, I think this is the spiciest conversation from my husband um, which is probably like I get it that's what he would say.
Speaker 2:Like has he read it?
Speaker 3:no, well, what the heck? No, of course he didn't read it. I think my husband is better off not get it. Like he doesn't come to my book events, really, and it's, it's okay, like I think, yeah, you not that I'm on this level at all, please don't misunderstand me, but there's a reason why no one really knew who Dolly Parton's husband was.
Speaker 3:You know, when you're I'm such a but I'm such an extrovert and I take up all the space and like that's my job, yeah. So Sometimes I wake up and I'm like man, that bitch is wearing me out, that Victoria Benton Frank. I am tired today. You're doing a lot yeah, but again I'll die if I don't.
Speaker 1:I'm a shark. I've got a couple rapid fire before we let you go.
Speaker 3:Oh, I love rapid fire.
Speaker 1:Okay, if you don't want to answer them. They're okay because they understand. Favorite restaurant in town, my living room.
Speaker 3:Oh, I like to eat on my couch, so can we all come to your house?
Speaker 1:Yes, for dinner. Oh, no, I actually do. Isn't it called Park and Grove?
Speaker 3:Yeah, park and Grove my husband's. Obviously I love Vern's. Vern's is my favorite and specifically their roasted chicken. It is like it is the most Decadent, delicious Roasted chicken. I think you can test Any restaurant Based on how they Roast a chicken the. The technique is perfect. The brown butter jus is delicious and my only complaint with Vern's is that they don't serve it with a whole baguette to sop up all of that delicious sauce.
Speaker 1:Now, we were hungry before and now I'm really hungry. Oh yeah, have you been to this place? Yeah, I have, yeah.
Speaker 3:Tell them I sent you and they'll be like oh, you're getting the chicken. Like I had my birthday there. We had 10 people Everybody ate their own. It's funny because most people are like chicken but no, you're right.
Speaker 2:Your person is like I'm not going to get chicken, but no. But when it's done right, it's done right. Oh my God.
Speaker 1:Where do you take? What's the first place? You take out-of-state visitors for the first time.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's a good question. Well, it used to be Sullivan's Island, right, that's right. Laptop and going out there and writing and looking at the water.
Speaker 1:so we'll see, depending on how hot, it gets it's pretty hot. That sounds awesome, though. Yeah, buggy, screw those gnats. Um, who is going to be the lead in your uh, my magnolia summer movie?
Speaker 3:um me. I have a theater degree, so I'll be acting.
Speaker 2:Oh, there it comes, stipulation, everything comes.
Speaker 3:She doesn't just want to be a bestseller. She wants to be an oscar winning actress too.
Speaker 1:Why not magnolia? Who's maggie?
Speaker 3:I don't know, maggie, I don't know what.
Speaker 1:Do you want to play, maggie?
Speaker 3:I, I, I'm open, you know. I think I I don't care, as long as they get the southern accent right. That's my only gripe. Don't come in here and sound like you're from Colombia.
Speaker 2:When you're from Charleston.
Speaker 3:Or like they don't get it. Not everybody sounds like a banjo down here, Charleston has a certain dialect and a rhythm to it. It has to be authentic.
Speaker 1:And my last question for you is what are you reading right now?
Speaker 3:Oh, I'm reading a few things. Right now I'm reading the Favorites, which is about a competitive ice skating couple, which is really, really good.
Speaker 1:A real story A fiction?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's fiction but it's based on a true story. I'm reading Paige Turner by well, I'm almost done. I guess I'm done with it now because I finished it by Viola Davis, who is my favorite, favorite person right now. What else am I reading? I have something else on my. Oh my God, I'm blanking now.
Speaker 1:I gotta write these down. Yeah, I love book suggestions.
Speaker 3:Oh, I just finished and I was so late to the party, but I'm so glad to be here now at Lisa C's Lady Tan Circle of Women.
Speaker 1:It's the most I'm gonna tell you women, it's the most I'm going to tell you what it's about and you're gonna be like what, but I promise you it's talk about a good story.
Speaker 3:It's about 14th century china female doctors. It is, there was doctors in 14th century china and that were women. Yes, and it's incredible. It's like you look at it. So the best thing about a book is that it gives you a window into somebody else's perspective, and I'm not going to know about 14th century china right like I'm at target with screaming children and, like you know, a hangover, um. So I don't really, I don't really know what that's like so if I get to jump into another world. I think that's really that's.
Speaker 1:I think that's amazing. That's what I'm um, I'm gonna have to. When I record, when I relisten to this, I'm gonna write those down yeah um all right listeners, everybody. Um get out there, get my Magnolia Summer. This is already out. This is a great, great book. Thank, you. You're going to enjoy every single second of it. And then August.
Speaker 3:August. You can buy this now. It's available. Buy now.
Speaker 1:In August we get the Violet Hour and then, hopefully next year, we get the third, I'm hoping, all right, you better get the word.
Speaker 3:Listen, I know I gotta go, guys.
Speaker 2:I gotta butcher right, we'll take your kids, so you can write it faster, real quick, before you say goodbye yeah, go ahead yeah let's do a giveaway yay, yeah, let's see like if you comment on the youtube and or any social media that amanda posts okay and says you know, I want my magnolia there you go huh, what do you think about? That we, we've got one, two, three, four. Well no, I need one, keep yours, keep yours.
Speaker 1:Yes, we have four right now.
Speaker 3:No, this is my wife's. Oh sorry, it should be yours. They're going to be autographed. Yes, right, thank you.
Speaker 2:That's really awesome.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me. It's such a pleasure.
Speaker 1:This is certainly a very memorable podcast and I hope it gets shared all over the place.
Speaker 2:I think this is her favorite. I kind of want to think this is her favorite.
Speaker 1:This is fantastic. Victoria thank you so much for spending your time with us today it's such a pleasure and an honor.
Speaker 2:How do we get a hold of you?
Speaker 3:Best way to follow me is on Instagram Victoria Benton, frank, easy peasy, and I have a website, but it's almost performative. It's not, like you know, social media.
Speaker 1:And where should we get your books from?
Speaker 3:Okay, so they're available anywhere books are sold. I always encourage readers to order from an independent bookstore, preferably ones in South Carolina, Village Bookseller I love. And then, of course, Buxton Books, Blue Bicycle Books yes, Blue Bicycle Village Bookseller I love.
Speaker 1:And then, of course, Buxton Books, Blue Books too, Blue Bicycle Books yes.
Speaker 3:Blue Bicycle Books, jonathan Sanchez, good friend of mine, any of those are great, but obviously Barnes, noble, amazon, all those places it's available as well Books a million.
Speaker 1:Get out there and get yourself a copy, please. I got two kids.
Speaker 3:Lots of bills, Credit card debt. Buy two Bills Credit card debt Bye two. Bye two, One for each kid.
Speaker 1:One for each kid. Send him to college. That's awesome. Thank you again so much Thank you.
Speaker 2:You've been great. It was a fun time, fun conversation, thank you.
Speaker 1:What an enjoyable chat with you. We wish you nothing but the best. Thank you so much. So before we leave, we need to once again thank our sponsor, dk Design, and, of course, our partners, charleston Media Services, for.
Speaker 2:Charleston Media Solutions.
Speaker 1:Media Solutions. Why do I keep saying services? I'm sorry about that.
Speaker 2:It's a service for a solution. They changed their name, so it's their fault.
Speaker 1:Solutions for their support, not only for this podcast, but for their support of the chamber. Make sure you like and subscribe to all our media channels Spotify, iTunes, youtube, instagram, facebook and LinkedIn.
Speaker 2:Yeah, comment on any one of those for your own signed book by VBF herself Fantastic Did you know that I'm calling you VBF now Like DBF.
Speaker 3:Yeah, my mom was DBF, oh, okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, boy, mike, you're nailing it today. I don't know what's going on over here. We're on it. I don't know what's going on over here. Sorry, carmine, I don't know what's going on over here.
Speaker 3:He's going to listen. He's going to listen. He'd be like you can have her. She's a pain. All that personality at home is a lot. Go ahead. We've been together 15 years. He would love a little thrill like that.
Speaker 2:I love it.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. You know what?
Speaker 3:Actually we've been 15 years. You better watch his back, right Because now I'm famous.
Speaker 2:You're famous now. Lol. I'll tell him that I'm going to watch my back for now.
Speaker 3:I know it's an Italian chef on my ass Riding a motorcycle. What the heck just happened? We'll probably give you some tips. God, that's the love of my life, that idiot.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, the laughs today.
