Featured Interview With Fred Felton

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Durban, South Africa. My education took me around South Africa to Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Pietermartizburg, Cape Town and then back to Durban.

At present I live in Durban.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books began in my early teens and I loved reading the books of Stephen King.
I started writing from the age of 13 and have not stopped since.

My interest in the short story genre developed from reading the short stories of Stephen King and W.Somerset Maugham.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors are Stephen King, W.Somerset Maugham and Shakespeare.

The genre that I love the most is horror.

I get my inspiration from fellow writers especially my mentor and of course Stephen King.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Nightmare Destinations is my latest book. It features six short stories. There are a variety of characters in each story and there is something for everyone. Fans of horror, mystery, thrillers, crime and even science fiction will enjoy this book. Some of the characters are scary and some I’m sure you can relate to. They are based in part on some of the people I have met during my life. It has taken me a few years to write this book and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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Fred Felton Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Oren Shved

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’ve been a creative director and game designer for many years. Went through a long list of startups in the gaming, VR, and AR worlds (some were mine, some weren’t).
I had the privilege of writing a lot for games and a lot of other creative projects, but this was my first time writing a novel.
Born and raised in Israel. No pets, just one semi-feral ten-year-old child.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was reading from a fairly early age, but only really got into it when I started playing D&D and about age 10. It was the 80s, so the first books I really got hooked on were the Dragonlance chronicles.
Started writing as a teenager. Mostly short fantasy stories, as one would expect from a geek such as myself. After college, I went through a long list of startups in the gaming, VR, and AR worlds (some were mine, some weren’t), where I had the privilege of writing for a lot of games and other creative projects. This was my first time writing a novel, which I started writing in 2020

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
A lot of them, recently, I think that Andy Weir really helped me feel comfortable whenever I spice up my writing with interesting trivia and scientific facts that I know would excite my geeky/nerdy readers.
I’ll read any genre, as long as the story sparks my interest (although, I usually gravitate to Sci-fi)

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Let the Earth open” is the first in a sci-fi/thriller trilogy. It was inspired by a south-Korean show that I saw, which reunited people with a VR version of their departed loved ones. And since I’ve always worked with cutting-edge interactive technologies, I wondered what it would look like If an AI gathered all of our data and created these kinds of scenes for us. Where would that lead us? Where would it lead the AI? That was when I decided to incorporate AI into my writing so that whenever the AI character in the book spoke, it was a real natural language algorithm writing its lines, thus creating a dialogue between myself and the machine.

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Oren Shved Facebook Page

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Featured Interview With Dan Albaum

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Eugene, Oregon and after spending some time in the Southwest, Midwest and Northeast early in my marketing career moved back to the Seattle, Washington area in the mid 1990s.
I now reside in Snohomish, Washington and have two pets, a Golden Retriever named Penny and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Lucky.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I first started reading books seriously in the fourth grade, I loved science fiction and a world of imagination. I’ve written on academic topics throughout my undergraduate/graduate studies and my business career, but this past year fulfilled a long term goal helping others through becoming a published author.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I am open to a wide range of non-fiction authors, and particularly enjoy biographies of business leaders, athletes and musicians. I am inspired by people who overcome significant obstacles to achieve their dreams and inspire others.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Be an Impact Maker

In business, it’s all about making a positive impact every
day.

Be inspired by the voices of more than 75 leaders from
around the world sharing key learnings from their
journey to exceptional leadership, including:

• Building vibrant cultures of innovation
• Developing authentic, trusted relationships
• Embracing diversity
• Improving strategic decision-making by leveraging
data
• Demonstrating leadership behaviors that generate
exceptional results
• The power of optimism

Once you commit to engaging and serving others … get
ready to be amazed by all that is possible.

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Dan Albaum’s Website

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Featured Interview With Amber Reshay

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in the northeastern part of Connecticut. I still reside there til this day. I enjoy animals; I love cats and dogs.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I noticed my love for books at a very young age. I was about 10 years old and I just loved going to the library and reading all of the books they had there. I also started writing poetry when I was 10 years old. My grandmother use to always bring me to the library; we would check out about 10 books to read and make it our goal to read each book before the summer ends.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors are Rupi Kaur and Maya Angelou. I love reading about love, heartbreak, women empowerment, and self care books. I am also inspired by Tupac Shakur; he has a poetry book filled with poems that he have written in his personal journals.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My poetry book “Falling” is divided into separate sections; Where it all started are poems that I wrote when I was young but I went in and corrected and added more to them. Where it all started shows how I was when I was younger. I was very vulnerable when it came to love. Also growing pains, I’m not okay, and coming of age show my growth and the many obstacles I’ve been through throughout life to get where I am today. It took me years to write some of the poems in the book. I poured my heart out in it and I hope that all of my readers will enjoy it.

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Amber Reshay’s Website

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Featured Interview With S. Alston

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m originally from Seattle, Washington but have been living in the San Diego area since 2013. My husband and I have 3 children who are nearly grown so pretty soon it will just be the two of us with our dogs, a black lab named Chloe and a beagle named Penny.

As I’ve reflected on what I can do for this next chapter of our lives, I have been drawn to writing. When my children were little, we always loved reading children’s poetry, and I’ve found that over the years I’ve written many poems that I’ve never done anything with. So I’m beyond thrilled to have a creative outlet that gives me a platform to help young minds grow and learn to love reading and using their imaginations.

My mission is to write poems and books that are not only fun to read, but they empower young minds and let children know they have control of their thoughts, feelings, and actions. I currently have 2 children’s picture books published and will have 5 more coming in the next couple of months.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’m probably not like most authors as I really didn’t enjoy reading until I had children and started reading children’s books to them. I think growing up, I only read books that were assigned to me in school and because of that, I never really read anything that was of interest to me, so as a result, I didn’t think I liked reading. But as a young mom, I knew the importance of teaching kids to enjoy reading, so we began reading young children’s chapter books. I remember thinking how fun some of these books were to read! However, as my children grew older and I no longer needed to read to them, I stopped reading. Except for the occasional parenting book, I guess I always told myself I didn’t have time. And this is a little embarrassing to admit, but it wasn’t until the teen novel series Twilight came out that I realized I loved reading. I was completely immersed in that series! My husband will tell you that I skipped several meals and made everyone fend for themselves while I continued to read and finish the next chapter. LOL I didn’t even know that it was a teen novel series because it was a friend of mine that had recommended the first book. So imagine my surprise as an adult with young children, when I went to buy the second book, and it was in the teen section! I bought it anyway, and my love for reading grew from there. Since then I have become an avid reader. I have gone from reading fiction to non-fiction to self-help and back now through the genres. Through my reading, I have learned so much about myself and it has brought me back to my fond memories of reading to my children when they were little. I was also one of those people who would send Christmas poems on my Christmas cards and I have written poems here and there and never really done anything with them. One of the books I will have coming out soon called the Greatest Lesson is a poem I started about 15 years ago when we were moving a lot. It’s about finding happiness within and will be a fable for 4th grade readers.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My all-time favorite children’s book writers are Dr. Seuss and Barbara Park, but as far as other genres I’m not too particular. There are so many great authors it’s difficult to name just one! I typically enjoy reading easy-flowing books that leave me feeling good or better than I did before I started reading. So lately this means I’m reading all sorts of non-fiction books that help me grow and improve myself. Don Miller who wrote Building a Story Brand has helped me so much with understanding how to write better even though his instructions are centered on growing your business and brand. It’s a must-have for any entrepreneur. The Help, was one of my all-time favorite fiction books.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I AM Mighty Me is the first book in a new series for preschoolers. It’s a picture book that teaches kids they are mighty and strong, and that they have control over their own thoughts and feelings. It empowers kids to become more self-aware and shows them healthy ways to take care of themselves and others, so they grow their power! I love the feeling I get when a young child enjoys my book and then I hear from the parents that they are running around the house calling themselves “mighty me” and repeating lines from the book. It just makes me smile so much to know that these miraculous little children are loving themselves a little more.

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S. Alston’s Website

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Featured Interview With Shanae Cooper- Robinson

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a child of King Jesus who wears many hats that fit. I’m a mother, wife, educator, author, public speaker, trained teacher mentor, , events planner/decorator , certified pastry chef , etc.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
From unconscious recollection, I have been fascinated with books from birth. I started writing in high school but my passion for writing was cemented back in college. I wrote my way through college.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Now Crystal Daye, back then Alvin Daye, Josephine Cox and Ben Carson. My favorite genre is fiction. I get most of my inspiration from Ben Carson and Alvin Daye.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My book From the Root to the Fruit , Rising Above Adversities is one that places emphasis on
rising above adversities when faced with challenges and hardship. It epitomizes my life experiences, including my grassroot encounters and upbringing as well as triumphs and achievements. It might also be called a book of perseverance.

Stemming from the bowels of poverty, from an early age, gave me the zest to change the norm. I was driven to be the change she wanted to see. I grew up in a household that was headed by my mother, who is the most hardworking lady on this earth. Her work ethics is unmatched. She has six children, four of whom were fathered by her. My father was absent from my life, so mummy had to capitalize on opportunities working odd jobs in order to cater for our needs.

This book epitomizes using aspects of one’s past to pave the way for the future. Our life experiences shape us into the individuals we are today. We go through numerous disappointments and belittling encounters in our life, but we cannot allow those to dissuade our dreams. We must use our experiences as steppingstones to reach our destination.

Our society tends to focus on the product, yet fail to highlight the process that leads to the end product. Where we are from or our start doesn’t have to interfere with where we want to go.

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Shanae Cooper- Robinson Facebook Page

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Featured Interview With Ashley Brandt

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Southern California. I relocated with my husband to North Texas ten years ago. We have two young sons and a spoiled cat, along with two shelter dogs and a guinea pig named Buttercup. On occasion, we foster orphaned kittens for the animal shelter.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. My mom used to read to me every day, and I enjoyed looking at the illustrations and memorizing the words of the book. I used to act out the stories myself, and when I became old enough, I began writing my own stories. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to become an author, and I recently decided to undertake the task.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My first love was Mary Higgins Clark. She is a classy writer with a flair for suspense. I absolutely adore anything written by Charlaine Harris, she specializes in creating extraordinary characters out of ordinary people and circumstances. Authors like these have inspired me to continue developing my own writing skills.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest novel, Coyote, is a paranormal thriller loosely based on an old Navajo legend. I found this legend (the legend of Ma'ii, or otherwise known as "Coyote Man") fascinating and envisioned the story with a modern twist. I integrated romance and mystery to the plot, addressing the human dynamic of self-exploration and duty versus desire. Adding in a few twists and turns along the way, Coyote draws readers in and captivates them to the final page.

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Ashley Brandt’s Website

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Featured Interview With Ben Westwood

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I'm an author, journalist, lecturer and performer. I'm a former Daily Telegraph journalist and write on travel, family and environmental issues. I've authored several travel guidebooks on destinations from Ecuador, Galapagos and Peru to London. I combine freelance writing with lecturing at University of Brighton in the UK.
I'm also an experienced musician and have released two albums as a singer-songwriter.
I'm from south-east England and moved back here after living in London and South America.
I have a cat named Marmalade, who makes a cameo appearance at the end of my book!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy when I was 11 and then started writing short stories. I got involved in journalism as an undergraduate. I later moved into travel writing but it's taken me until now to start writing fiction. The pandemic gave me the time at home to write a novel, which was one upside to an otherwise difficult time.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love fast-moving book so I like thrillers. I also like books that have something important to say.
I admire George Orwell, John Le Carre, JK Rowling, Terry Hayes and in non-fiction Eckhart Tolle.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Green Shoots is an eco-thriller – it’s a crime thriller with an environmental focus set in Britain and South America. In the story, a man determined to solve the mystery of his wife's death finds himself drawn into a lethal plot.
The main character grieving journalist John Adamson is brought back from the brink of suicide by a mysterious phone call informing him that his wife Christina’s death in Ecuador was not what it seemed. John is desperate to find out what really happened to her, but is persuaded by the man on the phone to also investigate a series of murders of businessmen in London. The deaths seem connected to industries that exploit the rainforest where Christina was researching – oil, timber and cattle ranching. John has to work out the connections between these killings and his wife’s death, but it’s both difficult and dangerous.
Towards the end of the book, the antagonist says: “The greatest battle of this century is between extractionists and ecologists.” That is the central theme of the novel – the conflict between those who plunder and those who defend the Earth. I think I channelled my anger at what's happening in the world when I created the antagonist. However, the book does have an uplifting ending, as I think it's important to be hopeful and find solutions.
I wrote the book in nine months over Covid lockdown in Britain.

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Featured Interview With Em McDermott

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am an avid reader, and the author of dark epic fantasy and fairy tale fantasy.

I was raised in New England, and currently live in upstate New York. I love the privacy of the forests here, and have so many wild deer in my yard every day that I almost consider them pets!

My ideal pet would be a dragon, but in lieu of that, I have a flock of chickens. They have names like Buffy, Khaleesi, and Dobby, and they certainly have the dragonic attitude down!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve loved reading since I was very young. I devoured a book a day throughout elementary school and middle school. My favorite authors back then were Roald Dahl and Avi. Does anybody remember the Animorphs?

I knew even then that I wanted to be a writer. In middle school, I discovered Anne McCaffrey and dove into adult fantasy. I was hooked. I was in sixth grade when I tried to write my own novel. I still have the notebooks filled with my early efforts, none of which I finished.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Epic high fantasy will always be my first and greatest love. Lately I’ve been reading darker fantasy, and enjoying it. My favorite epic fantasy authors are Sara Douglass and Jacqueline Carey.

I have always been drawn to mythology, and the stories that draw from it. Juliet Marillier writes incredible folklore-inspired historical fantasies, full of atmosphere and soul and gut-wrenching feels.

Literary fiction is where I go when I want a little something different. Favorite authors: Madeline Miller, John Irving, Kazuo Ishiguro, Daphne du Maurier.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest novel, The Woods, draws from the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale, and you'll find some familiar characters within its pages. Red, Gran, the Huntsmen, and the big bad wolf…but I promise my versions are nothing like you remember from the fairy tale.

When I sat down to begin the novel that became The Woods, I was in a new relationship with a partner who came from a different world than me. We are different colors, different ages, and had very different early life experiences. A lot of my friends didn't get us. It was thoughts of this divide floating around in my head that provided the first seeds of The Woods, which explores love that crosses boundaries. I'm happy to say my partner and I are still together…as for The Woods, I won't give away the ending. 😉

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Em McDermott’s Website

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