This is The Beautiful Writers' podcast. I'm Linda Sieverts, and today I bring you the New York Times best-selling author and screenwriter Charles Saylor, whose novel, The Second Sun, sold six million copies in the late 70s and had a massively profound influence on my young life and

future career. Uncle Chuck, as I call him, was my late father's best friend, an honorary little

brother and I was lucky enough to grow up with a front row seat to his merry magic making,

details of which were about to share, but you might have a hard time believing.

As for his bio, aside from starring in theater and on popular soap operas, Chuck has authored

more than 40 scripts for television programs, including Kojak and the Rockford Files and the debut

episodes of both Chips and Charlie's Angels, but it was writing the second son that would

change his life forever. Chuck, like his novels, is bigger than life. Just as an example,

I remember the day MGM announced that they had purchased the rights to his first novel and that

the production was going to have a bigger budget than gone with the wind. I was a teenager

when everyone in L.A., Redford, Newman, Stallone wanted to star in the film or direct it, and the way in which

Chuck blocked production in order to hold his creative vision makes him crazy or courageous.

You decide for yourself. All I know is this. As I think of how blessed I've

been throughout my life to befriend and be mentored by such legendary talents as past interviewees

Lisa Gibbons and Paul Williams and Guru Singh and Chuck Saylor, I realize that one of the great

joys of doing this podcast is sharing their

wisdom experience and inspiration with you from my experience. It's starting to feel a little

like episodes of This Is Your Life, but since we talk about universal topics, I think that's

kind of cool because I truly believe their unlimited thinking can apply to anyone and rubs off like fairy dust.

I hope you think so too. I hope you love my Uncle Chuck, an amazingly smart, wickedly funny,

heartfelt soul. He is somehow old Hollywood and new thought all at once and has the most

amazing insights into writing, crafting bestsellers

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