From Flu Setback To Bold Comeback: New Season Plans, Audiobook News, And A Hard Lesson In Grace

0:04 Welcome to True Crime, authors and extraordinary people. The podcast where we bring two passions together. The show that gives new meaning to the old adage, truth is stranger than fiction. And reminding you that there is an extraordinary person in all of us. Here is your host, David McClam. What's going on, everybody? Welcome to another episode of True Crime Mothers and Extraordinary People. Of course, I'm your man, David McClam. Hey, if you guys haven't already, make sure you follow us on all of our social media. One link to a link tree will get you every place you need to go pertaining to the show. And as always, I'd like to remind you that if you are someone or you know someone who feels like hurting themselves or someone else, please leave this episode in Dow 988.

0:53 It is the Suicide Prevention Hotline. It will get you the help that you need. And in case no one else has told you this today, let me be the first to tell you I do care and I do need you to be here. There is nothing worth your life. Alright, guys, first let me say Happy New Year, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, all of that good stuff. I know we're at the end of January. I'm sorry, I'm just not getting back. You may still be able to hear it a little bit, but here's why I did not come back to end season three like planned on December the 23rd.

1:35 Your boy got sick. So I got hit with that flu bug. I'm still recovering. I'm just at the end of it. My voice has come back somewhat, so I do sound kind of like myself. I did try to record the end of season about a couple of weeks ago. You guys really didn't want to hear that. It came out horribly. It was horrific because I really couldn't speak. I still have a little congestion now, but now it's time to come back. So please bear with my voice if it sounds a little bit different. If it sounds like I'm a little nasally, I'm still getting over this flu that has now been going on in me for just about a month.

2:18 I've done all the precautions. Doctor says take this medicine. It's just a bug going around, and I don't get them very often. So when I get hit with it, I really get hit. So I'm gonna use that time as my time off. As of this recording and the day that you get this, this is January the 30th. We have one date left in January at this point. So we are going to begin season four on February the 1st in a unique way. Every year on my other podcast, and I actually had a separate podcast for this, I like to come and give you guys some black history facts throughout the whole month of February.

3:04 No matter what anybody tells you or what the administration tries to take away from us, this is and will always be Black History Month in February. I've always said this before, I'll say it again. Those of us that are black live black history every day of our lives. February is just the month that's given to us where people will actually sit down and listen. And I take full advantage of that. So this year I'm going to bring that here, and we're gonna do 28 days of facts starting February the 1st. This will be on top of your regular programming.

3:46 So you will still get your regular programming as usual. However, I'm shooting some new content right now. I do have a couple of things that's gonna go up that I didn't get to put out last year because I got sick at the end of it. So we do have plenty of content to go on, and you don't want to miss this season because it's already starting out right with the guests that we have coming on. But I'm gonna give you these 28 facts. Some people you may know, some people you may not know, some things may shock you. And if you're black, there may be some things you didn't know that you may question, but I promise you I have done my job as far as vetting the information and as far as researching it.

4:28 And a lot of this, as black Americans know, we know these facts because, well, we've either lived them, lived through them, or we have ancestors or moms and dads and grandparents that lived through these times. So we know these stories. But I need you to stick around until the final one on February 28th. I'm gonna tell you why this year of me doing black history facts, I think the first time on this podcast, is unique. There's a twist to it. There's something that I felt led to do this year that I've done. And I think when I tell you what that is on February the 28th, on the very last episode, it's gonna change minds about not being able to teach people or people that don't want to learn, or maybe someone that doesn't look like you may not understand.

5:24 But I want you to tune in on that last day, and I'm gonna tell you exactly why this is unique. So 28 facts, 28 fact scripts have been written for me to bring to you, and they will be recorded and uploaded on that day. So look forward to that. I can't name them all by name because there's so many of them, so I do want to say thank you to all of my guests that came on the show in 2025. Without you guys, I could not have made it. I want to thank you for being a guest on the show, and always, any of you guys that's been on my show already know you're always welcome to come back. So sometimes these guests that I have on my show are multifaceted guests, and I have them come back because there's other things that we need to discuss that maybe you, the audience, will benefit from.

6:14 And believe me, I already have one of those that's coming on the show soon in the beginning of 2026. I want to say thank you to all my guests. I appreciate you guys a hundred percent. Thank you for coming on here, sharing your talent and your grace and your experiences with the world. Even if only one person heard it, you have touched someone's life. And I'm grateful that you were able to be on my show. I'm gonna tell you something at the end. Maybe everybody should hear this about podcasters. I think I've said this before, but something happened at the end of 2025. I'm not gonna mention a name, but I'm gonna tell you what took place because I think it's important that we are transparent with our audience and what happens with certain guests.

7:03 And why maybe why certain guests don't come on the show. And I like to jump in front of things in case people decide that they want to put things on their social media or they want to lie about it, because believe me, when it comes to things of this nature, your boy has receipts. But before we get to that, let me tell you a couple of things that has been going on and that will go on. So, as you guys know, another reason I'm sad that I got sick is there's a guy that came on my show. His name was Ben Skull. He wrote the book Wall Street Mafia. I was the first podcast that Ben had been on. Ben is now all over the place, people.

7:44 He's in newspapers, he's going to different podcasts, he's flying state to state. His book has really taken off. So I want to say congratulations to Ben Skull, and I was honored to be the first podcast he was on. But for me, the life experience got a little bit different, something I didn't expect. So before Ben and I went on the air to record his episode, he was talking about how he wanted to publish his book. And of course, I always ask, is there going to be an audio book? Because of the fact that I used to drive a lot for my job. And I know that a lot of people drive a lot, they listen to podcasts and they listen to books. Because I want to make it a statement to them that it is very important of an audiobook if they can consider it or if it's in their budget, because of the fact that people like myself used to drive a lot and people that will consume it in the way by way of audio.

8:41 So Ben was like, yeah, yeah, he was thinking about it, and you know, he was thinking of doing himself. And I said, hey, if you ever need somebody, you know, I'll volunteer. Because I really felt like his book was excellent. And he says, All right, he goes, Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and shoot it myself. Well, right before the end of the year, Ben came to me and he said, Uh, Dugman, can you do my book for me? I've tried to do it myself and I didn't really like the way it turned out. And I said, sure. I says, but to be sure that you really want me to do this, let me read a sample for you. So I think I read like a first chapter and I sent it to him, and he says, This is what I'm looking for. So your boy soon will be on an audiobook.

9:24 I'm going to be the narrator for the audio version of Wall Street Mafia. I don't take this lightly. Ben has been great. I told him I was sick, I could barely talk, and he said, Man, it gets done when it gets done. So I want to thank Ben for that. But we're back on the case this week. I'm already six chapters into his book, and we'll get done hopefully by the middle end of February. So be sure if you haven't already, I'll leave the link in the description. Wall Street Mafia's name of the book. It's one of the books that's taken off this year greatly. I mean, the reviews on this book is magnificent. And it's a great personal story because a lot of things that Ben tells you is very personal and he held nothing back.

10:12 There's a reason why it's called Wall Street Mafia. If you haven't heard the interview I've done with him, be sure to check that out. I'll leave a link for that one to make it easier to get to as well. But I want to say congratulations to Ben and thank you for allowing me to take part in your journey. Besides that, I got a couple other projects going to be going on. So look forward to that. Of course, I still work with Donald Humphrey. Every year we come up with brand new things to do. And this year is no exception. There's a couple of projects we want to put in the works. I won't tell you what they are until they start to happen, but keep your eye out for that. Your boy's very busy. Also, in the middle of all of this, I'm actually changing jobs and careers.

10:56 So maybe I'll tell you a little bit more about that as we go down the line. So a lot of things happened in the 2025 going into 2026 that should make life a whole lot better than it was in 2025, other than getting sick with the flu. But I want to thank you guys for all sticking with me through this. People haven't stopped listening. Hopefully, you went back and you listened to some older episodes. We got some magnificent stuff coming out for you. People still finding the show. And I always say this, and I don't say this lightly, and I don't say it because it's something I say at the end of my podcast, but I am greatly humbled. I mean, if you look at the people that reach out to me, I didn't go after them, they reach out to me.

11:38 And I know that they are telling me the truth because a number of people that write to me will tell me things like, hey, I love listening to your show, and they would actually tell me, listen to this episode. This is what I found great about the episode and why I think my person should come on your show. So to all of those listening who's coming on the show, or if you're someone who works with someone that you're bringing on the show, thank you. I'm just humbled and grateful that you would even think about me, a little small corner of the podcast world, to have your client come on my show and help me spread their message. All right, so let me tell you this quick story before I get out of here.

12:20 And I think it's important because I think the one thing that everybody should understand is that we are podcasters and we are human and we go through the same things that you do. Now, I understand that that sounds more like celebrity, right? Or that sounds like who does he think he is? But I'm telling you, this is the pedestal that a lot of us that are podcasters are put on. You are a public figure, whether you want to admit that or not, when you are dealing with the public in any sense of the world. And a lot of people look up to you as that figure. And a lot of people expect things of you or expect you to be superhuman if you are in that status.

13:02 Well, that happened towards the end of 2025 with a guest. Now, I mean no malice towards this person, so I'm gonna not name who this person is, I'm just gonna tell you what took place. So earlier in 2025, we had set up for this person to come on the show. It was during the summer of 2025. If you knew anything about Southern California in 2025, there was one thing that was very prominent. We were having a heat wave. And when you have a heat wave in Southern California, depending on where you live, one of two things happens. You lose power involuntarily, or they just turn power off.

13:47 Meaning that there was a power surge and the power just go out and they're working on it. They see these messages saying, sorry, we know your power's down, we're working on it. Or you live in there where they write to you or they send you a text message that says, Hey, due to the heat and high winds, we may need to turn off your power. Well, that interfered right going through when this person was supposed to come on the show. The moment I heard, I waited up until the last minute to cancel. I haven't had to do it very much, people, but keep this in mind. If I ever have to cancel a guest, for one, it's very important. All through 2025, I had to because of deaths in the family, people got sick, it was horrible.

14:28 But I don't cancel those lightly. And depending on the situation, I will wait until that last minute before I say I got to cancel. And for me, that's at least 12 hours beforehand when I say, okay, this is not gonna pan out. I got to cancel, please. I hope this person comes back on the show. Understand for me as a podcaster, too, a couple of things go into this when I have to cancel a show. One, I run the risk of never having that person on the show. And everyone that comes on the show, and I say, Yes, I want you on the show, I want them on the show because I know that there's something that they're bringing to the table that's gonna help you, the audience. I just don't say yeah to get guests.

15:08 There's been guests I've turned down because I didn't feel like they was a fit for my show. So understand that, A, that's the first thing. We may never get that guest back. The second one is my reputation. Right? So, word of mouth kills everybody. You sit next to this person one day and they go, Oh, yeah, I'm going on this show, true crime models for their people. And that thing, you know, don't go on his show. He canceled me, and this is what happened. So that's how we get ahead of these things. So I wrote this person. And I said, sorry to inform you of this. I said, but I'm going to have to reschedule due to the fact that I may not have any power. And I explained the whole situation to her of why I knew I was not gonna have any power at this point.

15:57 Now, the reason I knew that is because of this. I had started getting text messages from Edison, who's my electric company. And I know where I live. So I do live in the part where my house sits right where all these power lines are, that if something was to go down, like a serious emergency or heat waves or whatever the case is, I'm one of the first people they shut down. I have been shut down before for hours, sometimes days. And so I said, I can't take this risk. So as I write this email, send it to this person, the person writes back. Very cordial at first, right? Okay, I get it.

16:37 We'll reschedule, sorry for that. So now we're at the point where we reschedule them. Now, the second date that this person is supposed to come on the show, it was them that wrote me and said, Hey, can't come on the show because I have a double ear infection. They said, I don't think I'll be myself. It's really painful. And I said, I get it, I understand. I want you to come on if you're sick. Got you. Schedule at will. They rescheduled again. Then when they reschedule this time, I'm sitting up in the studio waiting for this person to show up. I don't know if there was a riverside ding. I don't know if she was lying to me. I don't know whatever happened.

17:17 But person never shows up. So I'm like, hmm, okay, go about my business for the day. And right before I was able to write the person, because I always handle these things gently, right? Because I have no idea what happened, right? I don't know if somebody passed on. I mean, I don't know, right? So I don't want to burst into this and be like, you didn't show up. Why didn't you show up to this? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So I waited, and right when I was about to write Vim, I get this email. And I'm gonna read you the email because I want you to know exactly how I responded. Because I don't take these things lightning, nobody pushes me around, and I will defend myself if you come for me.

18:02 I get just this short email. This is the second time that you have stood me up to be a guest on your podcast. Please do not contact me again and thank you. Now, this person is so cowardly that they didn't even wait for me to respond to that. You just made a very broad accusation that I can tell you folks is not true. Never stood you up at all, but that's what they said. So I decided to write back. Now, again, I know because the way that it went, this person blocked me immediately, right? Just trying to cut everything out. Didn't want to hear any rebutton. Now, you guys should always keep this in mind. If somebody throws an accusation at you, but they don't want to hear your comeback, they either know that the accusation is false or that you can prove the accusation is a lie.

18:52 Well, here's my response. I said, I think first I should say that we should never jump to a conclusion before we know the truth. I am just getting to your email because I have been waiting for you to show up for the last 45 minutes. Now I don't know if something went wrong with Riverside or Calendly, but you did not ask that, did you? No, you just assumed I stood you up. Let's talk about that line when you said I stood you up. The definition of that is when someone does not show up intentionally. Well, let's examine that, shall we? In August, when you were supposed to first come on the show, I had to reschedule due to a power outage. California was in a heat wave and I just so happened to live in the part of Palmdale where it greatly affects my power.

19:34 Although I was told it may happen, I rescheduled you at the last minute after my power was off for over 15 minutes. But since I am lying about that, you can read all about it at the end of this email. And I gave her a clip of Southern California Edison. They didn't argue to 2025. It detailed all of the power outages that was happening, what was going on in Southern California. I said, then you reschedule, you canceled, saying you had a double ear infection. Okay, I told you to get better. Now today I have waited 45 minutes and you jumped to the conclusion I stood you up, which I never did the first time. The proper way to handle this would have been to email, text, or call and ask if anything happened.

20:19 Here's what you did not know. I just started a new job. Just so I showed up today, I told my boss I had to have at least the afternoon off because of a prior engagement that I could not reschedule. So if you do not want me to contact you again, fine. But here's what I would like you to know. I have done this for almost 10 years. I have interviewed everyone from big authors to talk show hosts to Hollywood personalities to the top criminal minds in the business. Standing you up as you say is not worth my time or reputation. However, it appears you have no consideration for what the other person goes through. Let me put it this way: the day you reschedule, I could have had four other interviews.

21:00 I blocked the day for my guests, so I put the total time into them, and so I do show up. This is why only one guest gets booked a day. So it is not worth my time to waste to stand you up. I will find out what happened and I do apologize, but in the future, you should seek to understand instead of seeking to blame. For all you know, I could have dropped dead this afternoon, but you just assumed someone decided to stand you up. Sincerely, David McClam. This was written back in December 12th of 2025. Now I tell you guys this thing because, hey, as I prove to you, I keep receipts.

21:40 First of all, I have a huge calendar. So everybody that comes on my show, he keeps track of that, and then I can go back and see who came on and who did not, and we reach out to people. Two, I have no reason to lie to a guest. Three, I tell you guys these things. So if you're ever a guest on a podcast and something like this happens, before you jump to a conclusion, make sure something did not go. Wrong. Nothing I said in the email was alive. I could have had four interviews that day. If you go to my calendar, it is true. I only schedule one booking a day. Now there is many podcasts that sets up a whole schedule, meaning they have four or five different podcasts in a day. And if you look at Calendar, they do give you a break. How long do you want between shows?

22:21 So I could. I could set up an interview at one and tell Calendly I want at least 45 minutes in between shows. So what that would do is if I have an interview at one, Calendy will add 45 minutes to that. So then if I'm done at two, you cannot book until 245. But I think that's cheating my guess. Because I have to split my mind in between, let's just say three people, hypothetically, to store out three people. If I got three people coming on my shoulder day, that means I got to prepare for three separate people. It means I have to do research on three separate people. If I have books, I have to read at least to a degree to where I can discuss the book on three separate people. So one person doesn't just get my undivided attention.

23:05 And in the world of podcasting and radio and all of that, that has always been my biggest pet peeve because I feel like that you get people on here, and I've seen hosts on many different platforms mix up the people they're talking to. I never want my guests to feel like they're second best. So I only schedule one show a day. If you ever go to my calendar and it's grayed out, that means one person's already booked for that day, and that is the only person coming on the show that day. A lot of people say that I cheat myself on episodes. I think I'm doing fine. I have, what, several hundred of them now? So I think that I'm doing fine. And I want that because I want my guests to feel like they are important because they are to me.

23:47 So keep in mind that we are human too. There's things that we can't control. I can't control death. I can't control illness. I can't control heat waves. I can't control what California Edison decides that they want to do with turning off my power. And as you heard me say, I waited until 15 minutes to counsel her that day. Now, usually I want to give 12 hours. But because Edison's like, we don't know, you may lose power, him and ha, I waited because it was important that I got this person on the show. And I didn't want this person to feel like I'm just counseling. But I waited.

24:27 Now, the the response I did get back from them when I did write and say, Hey, I got in the middle of the heat wave, first thing they said is, Oh, yeah, we've been hearing about it and we know what's happening in California. Then if you know what's happening in California, why would you write back and say, I've now stood you up for the second time? So, in closing, if you guys ever come on my show and I ever have to cancel, if you have a question about that, please fire any question you want. I'm happy to answer them. But don't ever assume that you just got canceled because I just didn't want to show up. Or if you show up and I'm not there, send me a message. Everybody has my phone number when they come on my show. Text, hey bro, I've been sitting here for 10 minutes.

25:07 Where are you at? Okay, that lets me know, hey, there is a problem somewhere. I'm sitting in the same spot you is. How come I don't see you? I can't fix what I don't know. So the moral of the story is have some compassion, have some humility. Try to understand what the other person may be going through. Even if you don't understand it, ask questions. But don't go give somebody a bad reputation, which might get a hold of this because I know who this person is. This person is kind of prominent in their field. And I was cautioned, well, maybe you should just put this out there because the fact that who this person is and what they may attempt to do. So there you go. Again, though, thank you guys for being here.

25:49 I cherish each and every one of you. I appreciate each and every one of you. If you ever want to come on the show, you're welcome to. If you have something you want to share, something you want to get off your chest, something you think that will help somebody else, you're always welcome to come on the show. All right, guys. Well, that's it for this one. Thank you for awesome 2025. We bring season three to a close. You're gonna be hearing the first Black History episode coming your way in just a couple of days, and then we're gonna start getting these new guests out to you. The one thing I forgot to tell you is yes, you will still get a weekly episode. However, I cannot commit to what day that will drop now due to work schedules.

26:31 Also, because other people are busy too as well, you may not get the format the way I like it, which is true crime, author, extraordinary person. It may be true crime, true crime, or two authors or two extraordinary people. It all depends on scheduling and when I can get them on the show and get them recorded and edited. So just bear with me on that. Alright, I hope you guys are having an excellent 2026. I hope so far it has been better than 2025. I wish nothing upon you and yours but happiness and blessings. And I thank you for joining me today. I know you have many choices in True Crime and Interview Podcast, and I am grateful that I am just one of your choices.

27:18 And always remember you've been listening to the only three-faceted podcast of its kind. Be good to yourself and each other, and always remember, always stay humble. An act of kindness can make someone's day. A little love and compassion can go a long way. And remember that there is an extraordinary person in all of us. I'll catch you guys on the next one. Don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe. Join us on social media. One link to the Link Tree has it all. Feel free to drop us a line at TrueCrime and Authors at gmail.com.

28:03 Sound mixing and editing by David McLam. Intro script by Sophie Wilde and David McLam. Theme Music, Legendary by New Alchemist. Introduction and Ending credits by Jackie Voice. See you next time on True Crime, Authors, and Extraordinary People.